Honeybee
by lex-chuu
Summary: As the new girl at Beacon Academy, Blake Belladonna enters her last year of high school. But the grueling tests, eccentric people, and silly friends are nothing compared to meeting the most popular blonde at school and falling in love with her completely. [Highschool AU]
1. Welcome to Beacon

**Honeybee**

 **Chapter One: Welcome to Beacon**

Her golden eyes flickered, focusing on everything in the room besides the old man sitting directly in front of her. She hadn't looked at him the whole time he was talking to her about her dead parents and the passing of the estate to her, their only daughter. He cleared his throat, and out of guilt, she finally let her gaze meet his frown. Perhaps it was some sort of pity he felt for her that she could read on his face, but regardless, she forced herself to pay careful attention to the words that rolled off his tongue.

"As directed by Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna," he sighed heavily, "I must inform you of their wishes to send you to Beacon Academy using a portion of the estate."

Blake's brows scrunched together in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Your father and mother have set aside an allotment in order to send you to Beacon Academy." When he saw the young girl's eyes widen, he continued, "It is written in their will that you attend Beacon to complete your secondary education should they perish before then."

"But sir, I'm already enrolled in Atlas Academy," she mustered, sitting straight up in her chair. "And I'm almost finished with high school. What's the use in sending me to a school that's just as good as the one I'm at now?"

"Miss Belladonna," he replied, "I am sorry, but I'm afraid I must carry through with your parents' desires for you, as you have yet to turn eighteen until the following summer."

She had never felt so angry for being born in July. "Does it really have to be this way?" she asked, already knowing the answer. The legality of the issue crushed her.

"Indeed. Their wishes are explained in full in the wills here, which you may read over. There is naught I can do to change the situation, Miss Belladonna." Blake looked down at her hands. "If this is what your parents wished for, it would be a dishonor not to respect their desires for you."

She knew he was right, but not _why_ he was right. "I just don't understand why they would send me away," she muttered.

"I can't answer that question, unfortunately." With a solemn sigh, the man handed her parents' wills over and stood. "I'll see to it that your move may be as efficient and pleasant as possible, Miss Belladonna."

 _As if moving could ever be pleasant_. After she watched Charles, the family's long-trusted estate administrator, walk out of her father's small library, she sunk into her chair and looked at the chandelier that dangled above her. Part of her wished it would fall right then and there just to get her out of her miserable state. Moving across the country just to attend Beacon, the academy her parents had both attended, seemed so stupid to her. Atlas was just as good, if not better, and here it was cold and gray, the way she liked it.

In the ending weeks of summer, Blake tried her best to be optimistic about the situation. But she had always been just the opposite. Thinking positively was hard and she wasn't used to it. As she watched the movers pack away the last of her belongings, she frowned to herself, thinking about how different her life would be as soon as she touched down in the sunny, arid state of California. The Belladonna family had only visited a few times and very briefly, so she was unfamiliar with the area. And to be traveling alone, without a friend, only frightened her even more. _I can't be sure why they would want me to go to Beacon._ Was Charles hiding something from her? She had read the wills in full, but could there have been something she missed? Even if she had, this was reality, and she had to deal with it.

* * *

With a sense of trepidation and anxiety, Blake opened the door.

Even though class was set to start in ten minutes, there were a few students scattered about the room. Each person chose something about her to stare at: her long and silky black hair, her slender figure, her pale skin. Blake made sure to look directly at the teacher, Mrs. Glynda Goodwitch, but everyone's eyes felt heavy, almost intruding. She couldn't be sure how old Mrs. Goodwitch was; if she was old, she'd aged gracefully, as she still looked quite youthful. With her blonde hair pulled back into a neat bun and adorned by a professional dress, Goodwitch shook Blake's hand graciously, giving her a small smile.

"You must be Miss Belladonna," she greeted.

"Yes, I'm Blake," the girl nodded, her lips forming into a polite grin.

"Class is going to start in a few minutes. Why don't you pick out a seat? We change spots every quarter, so make sure you're sitting next to someone you'd like to work with."

She wasn't sure quite how to do that if she didn't know anyone at this school, but she nodded her head and turned to see which spots were open. Scanning the room, she noticed that the majority of the talkative people—at least that's what she judged them to be, since they were chatting so noisily at 7:30 in the morning—sat in the middle. She debated sitting against the window, but she figured she'd be distracted by something if she did. In the back, there sat a brunette girl… and was that red on the tips of her hair? She smiled at Blake and waved at her to sit by her. Walking over to her, she managed to give her a wan smile.

"Good morning! What's your name?" the girl asked, her voice energetic and perky.

"I'm Blake," the black-haired girl answered.

"I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet you," she grinned as she stuck her hand out. Blake shook it firmly and took the seat next to her. "You're new, aren't you?"

"Is it that obvious?" she asked, not trying to sound sarcastic.

"No, it's just that I've never seen you before is all. But that's okay. Where are you from?"

She took a deep breath. "I moved from Atlas Academy, actually. You might kn—"

"Atlas? Really?" Ruby gawked at her in awe. "You went to Atlas? That's all the way on the East Coast!"

"Yes," Blake replied, smoothing out her hair. It had become a habit for her to do that when she felt nervous. "I just moved a few days ago here."

"Wow," the girl smiled. "That's pretty cool. Well, welcome to Beacon Academy! I hope you like it here."

 _I hope so too,_ Blake prayed to herself. The seats were filling in quickly as students started to shuffle in the room.

"It looks like class is about ready to start," Ruby noted. "We can talk more afterwards. Mrs. Goodwitch always makes us do stuff on syllabus day."

* * *

Although Blake missed Atlas dearly, she reveled in the beauty of Beacon. Being a California high school, Beacon was spread out over a few acres. Classes were placed in separate buildings and departments, with the courtyard, cafeteria, and union building in the center. To the southeast, Beacon boasted its huge stadium and the amphitheater only a few minutes away. The golden-eyed girl had heard greatly from her other friends that Beacon was a gorgeous school, but she had never been able to comprehend its beauty until she came. Atlas had its huge halls, its aged walls, and tall, beautiful trees that grew nearly everywhere. But here at Beacon, Blake could enjoy the sway of the palm trees, the rays of the sun, and the faint ocean breeze that blew past. She always thought she liked colder, milder weather; no more, not here.

For lunch, Ruby accompanied Blake to the amphitheater. Most days, many students would fill the area with bantering and athletic activities. But for today, it was fairly empty, giving the two girls some peace and quiet. Blake hadn't made herself her own lunch in a while, usually relying on her mother to do that, and packed herself a tuna sandwich. Ruby munched on a hamburger she had bought from the school cafeteria.

"So, why are you here at Beacon?" Ruby said in between her bites, turning excitedly to her new acquaintance.

Blake tried to smile, but she stared down at the fish sandwich in her hands. "It's complicated. I had to because of my family."

"Oh," the other girl murmured. She took another bite and continued, "Is it too personal to ask?"

"Well, it's just…"

Silence.

"Yes. I'm sorry. Maybe I'll tell you some other time," Blake apologized. She didn't know if she could exactly trust Ruby yet, even with how nice she was to her in Calculus this morning.

"That's okay," the brunette smiled. "Anyway, I'm glad you're here. How were your other classes?"

Blake recounted her morning. "Well, Calculus was okay. I'm okay at math, so it wasn't so bad. I really enjoy having Physics right after it. I can connect the math and the science. Anatomy is pretty hard so far."

"But it's syllabus day today."

"The teacher gave us stuff to do. Mr. Oobleck sure does talk a lot," she sighed, thinking about the packet from anatomy he'd assigned earlier this morning. "My social studies classes are in the afternoon."

"Huh, that's great I guess." Ruby crumbled the wrapper in her hands. She aimed at the trash can a good twenty feet down the steps and threw as best as she could.

The piece of trash hit a head of white, and sapphire eyes immediately pierced both of the girls at the same time.

"Ruby Rose!" a high-pitched voice emitted. "What on Earth are you trying to do?!"

Jumping to her feet in an instant, Ruby ran down the steps over to the girl. Blake noticed how her hair was extremely… white. It wasn't a gray or even a silver, but white, as pure as snow. Her skin matched, and those eyes, a deep blue, seemed filled with rage, and yet, they seemed cold. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you…" Ruby apologized.

Tearing her gaze away from Ruby, the other girl looked up at Blake. "You're not going to do anything?"

Before Blake could form a reply, Ruby cut in. "Hey, it was my mistake. Don't pull her into it."

She sneered. "Obviously, I just hadn't noticed her before." Turning her head back to Ruby, she barked, "You'd do well to remember, I'm a Schnee, Ruby Rose. And pick up your trash, why don't you? You dolt."

"I heard you," she answered, doing just as the Schnee girl asked.

"It's the first day of school and I'm already running into idiots like you. How pathetic," she whined, dusting off her skirt, not that there was anything on it. She seemed to have forgotten that Blake stood, watching the catfight before her.

Crossing her arms, Ruby took a step back, feeling defensive. "You could try to be nice and stop acting privileged for once."

"Acting?" She cackled and Blake nearly lost it. "God, you insolent little mouse! I'm Weiss Schnee, Ruby, and I don't have to stop acting. Besides, between the both of us, aren't you the little sophomore who's in senior classes because you're such a brainiac? What a _privilege_ it must be to be miss smarty-pants." Weiss raised an eyebrow, taunting her with every move of her body.

Here, the smaller brunette clenched her fists and had them pinned at her sides. "I'm not a brainiac."

"Clearly, since you can't even think to stand up, walk, and _then_ throw your trash." The school bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. "I hope to encounter you next time when you're _not_ so braindead." Glaring at her, she made her way out of the amphitheater and back towards her classes.

Blake hurried herself over to Ruby and frowned. Although Weiss' scathing words seemed to do hardly any damage to her exterior, she couldn't help but wonder if she had been deeply offended. "That was really rude of her."

"Well, I did throw a piece of trash at her."

"That was an accident, Ruby," Blake defended her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. That's how Weiss is," she puffed, fixing her hair. "She's the heiress of some huge diamond company and she's super rich. She's from Atlas too, but her parents insisted attending Beacon because we're the better school."

Blake wasn't sure if she could believe it, but for now, she only nodded her head. "We should try to stay away from her."

"Oh, trust me, I do my best." Ruby rolled her eyes. "Weiss has always been mean like that. I swear it's just a front to hide something underneath it all."

Blake nodded. She wondered how anyone could be so cold, but then she thought about herself and how antisocial and lonesome she could be. Maybe Weiss was having a bad day, a really, really bad day. Suddenly, she remembered something. "Why didn't you tell me you were a sophomore?" Blake asked as they started towards their respective classes. "I thought you were a senior like me."

She expected her acquaintance to feel anything but embarrassed. "I don't like the attention it brings me."

"But it's impressive."

"But it's really just… I don't know, I don't care. Sure, I take senior classes and stuff like that, but…" They stopped walking. "I'm just a normal girl with normal knees, you know?" Her silver eyes seemed to find everything but Blake, indicating her discomfort with the topic.

"I understand." The two stood in the courtyard. Unfolding a piece of paper she had placed in her skirt pocket, she pointed at a part and asked, "Where is this class?"

"Oh, you have Mr. Port next for English? It's just down this building," Ruby nodded towards the row of classrooms. "You can always find the English department. It's right next to the courtyard."

"Thanks."

"It looks like we don't share any other classes. But I bet we'll see each other around," she beamed, her smile infectious. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yes. I'll see you tomorrow," she smiled.

* * *

Before Blake's arrival, Charles had asked for her parents' beach house to be visited and cleaned thoroughly to ensure a proper stay for the young lady. As a result, the house overlooking the Pacific Ocean had everything she'd need, from a blender to food and other useful household items. The only things that were missing were her parents. When she opened the door, she expected to hear the faint sounds of activity within the house, but it was dead silent. Her chest felt like it would cave in, even though it was September now and they had passed away in mid-July. As grand as their home should be, it wasn't, and it was because it was just Blake, alone.

She finished her shower and went to the kitchen to fix herself some dinner. Conveniently, Charles had ensured the maids placed some TV dinners in the freezer to make things easier when she started school. Easily, she threw a small dish of spaghetti into the microwave and wandered around the house. The beach house had always seemed so much bigger as a kid, but so did everything else. Blake opened the back door and walked over to her patio. From here, she could see the enormous strength of the waves as they crashed against the sand. In the distance, the sun was beginning its descent and rays of red, orange, and purple scattered themselves amongst the clouds. She definitely didn't see these sunsets in Boston.

After she ate dinner, she took out the homework from Calculus and Anatomy and got to work. Before she knew it, a few hours had died away in silence, save for the scratch of her pen against the paper. She crawled into bed and shut her eyes, wondering if this was how her life was going to be for the next year before she could go back home. For now, this would be her home. _I might as well try to make myself comfortable._

* * *

The next week passed by as easily as it could have. While a good portion of the Beacon student body had noticed their new peer, most people minded their own business. Blake had seen Weiss Schnee here and there, and what Ruby had mentioned at their first meeting was true. She could literally smell how rich the girl was. In passing, they never did more than glance at one another, but Blake could smell her imported perfume and hear the jingle of those expensive bracelets. The Schnee Diamond Company had sounded very familiar, especially since her family, too, was based near Atlas. She tried to pay her no mind as much as possible.

One day, as Blake and Ruby ate their lunch on the steps of the amphitheater, the younger girl asked a curious question. "Hey Blake? What are your favorite hobbies and stuff like that?"

"Huh?"

"Like, what do you like to do on your free time?"

She had to think. "Well… I do read a lot of books. I thoroughly enjoy literature."

"Really?" Ruby grinned, chewing her food and quickly swallowing. "My sister used to read books to me all the time when I was little. I love books too!"

She couldn't help but smile. It felt good knowing someone had the same passion. "Yes, they are very important. I like to write as well. Sometimes I paint. Most days I just study a lot so I don't really get the time."

"You paint too?" Ruby cocked her head to the side, clearly interested. "Do you have any of your work on you?"

"No," Blake chuckled. "That would be difficult to bring to school. I paint on canvas of course. I'm not very good with watercolor and I prefer oils."

Clearly, Ruby had no idea what she meant, but she nodded her head encouragingly. "I'm pretty dang impressed!"

"Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious. We all have something we like to do. For you, it seems to be writing and art." She put away the rest of her lunch and looked out to the field. There were more people out here today, throwing frisbees, a ball, something. They weren't alone today. "Ugh, look," she suddenly groaned. "It's Weiss."

Blake followed her eyes and saw Weiss chatting with a boy who wore flamboyantly bright blue hair. He seemed to be attracted to her, leaning closer against the wall just so he could close the space in between the both of them. She could hear her childish giggle from where she sat, noticing just how polite she was to him. "It seems her personality can really change when she's around other people."

"Yeah, when she's around a dude," Ruby complained. "She's been trying to hit on Neptune for weeks."

"His name is Neptune?"

"Yeah, I know it's kind of weird. I can't stand someone like Weiss. I don't know how she could ever be so rude!"

Soon after, Weiss left Neptune by himself to go back to her classes, spotting Ruby and Blake once again. She frowned at them and stopped just in front of them. "Talking about me again, I bet?"

"Not at all," Blake spoke up, trying to avoid her jabs.

The white-haired girl narrowed her eyes, putting both hands on her hips. "We haven't yet spoken to one another, I don't think," she observed. "But you're Blake Belladonna, a transfer student from Atlas."

"Yes."

"And how do you like Beacon so far?" Weiss asked, relaxing her shoulders and crossing her arms instead. "Is it very different from Atlas?"

"As different as it can be," Blake answered quickly. Quickly, she looked at Ruby, who did everything in her power to remain as silent as possible.

"Hmm," Weiss hummed. "I imagine you don't have many friends here yet, then. Well, it's best not to get on a Schnee's bad side. I wouldn't be someone you'd want to deal with, isn't that right, Ruby Rose?"

Ruby's head snapped up immediately and Blake was worried she'd throw a punch. "Can't you just leave us alone, Weiss? Don't you have more important things, like Neptune?"

"Neptune?" She seemed genuinely surprised, until she smirked. "Oh please. Neptune's just another boy."

"They're all just boys to you," Ruby muttered under her breath.

"Excuse me?"

"We should get to class," Blake suggested, standing so that she was taller than Weiss. In a book, she had read that being on a higher plane could intimidate someone, but that didn't work here. "Lunch is ending pretty soon."

"You seem to find escape routes fairly easily," the rich girl taunted, turning her head. "Perhaps we can speak, alone." She looked back at Blake. "I'd like to speak with an Atlesian student."

Ruby tugged at her sleeve. She hadn't even noticed Ruby stood as she spoke to the other girl. "Let's get going, the bell—" And right then, the bell rung, but it was the second bell, meaning class was starting. "Oh, god, Blake, we're going to late to class!"

"Oh, you idiots!" Weiss exclaimed.

In an instant, the three girls were running to their classrooms. For Weiss, she had to travel all the way across campus to get to the math department, leaving Ruby and Blake behind near the courtyard. She hadn't left them without a few harmful words, and a strange glare sent towards Blake. But that mattered little now. How could she have missed the first bell? The raven-haired girl cursed in her head, wishing she wouldn't embarrass herself as the new senior who came tardy to class. As she rounded the corner to Mr. Port's class, she clashed into something yellow, something hard, and heard a yelp.

She fell back, the impact blowing her back a few feet. Sitting up on her bottom, she shook her head vigorously to get her senses back, only to have Ruby screech.

"Blake! Are you okay?" Ruby asked, helping her up quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just—" Blake shut up as soon as she noticed she had knocked a person, hard, and straight into a trash can.

Ruby looked up and wailed, "God, what is it with the trash cans?!"

They were both about to run, as more time had elapsed since the last bell, but the trash can moved. No, that's what Blake thought. The girl in the trash can moved. As she stood, she tried to get off as much of the trash as possible, but as lunch had just ended, an unfortunate amount of scraps and waste clung to her skin. She stood tall, athletic and muscular, with long, thick blonde hair that flowed until it reached her hips. If she wasn't soiled in trash, she'd be incredibly gorgeous. Quickly, her hand flew until it reached Blake's shirt. Emitting a gasp, she found herself to be dangling a few inches up in the air. Red eyes glared intensely. They reminded Blake of fire.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing, running around like that?!" the stranger growled, her grip tightening. Blake was thankful it was only her shirt and not her neck.

"Hey, let me go, it was an accident!" Blake pleaded. Fear crept into every nook and crevice of her body.

"Accident my ass! Who are you and what do you think you're doing?" Her voice was heavy with anger, threatening Blake with every syllable that rolled off her tongue.

"What's going on?" A few students—also running late to their classes—gathered around to see. Soon enough, a crowd had circled around, eager to watch the showdown. "That's…"

Blake grabbed her hand, tapping it several times to ask to be put down. "Please, I—"

"You punk. You bumped me and shoved me into a trash can!" Her words escaped between gritted teeth. "If you seriously think I'll just put you down like—"

"Please!" Ruby yelled, pushing through the crowd to reach the two of them in the small breezeway. "Yang, put her down!"

"You know her?" Blake looked back at Ruby, her face gone pale.

"Blake… Blake, that's my sister…"

 _Sister?!_

"Yang, put her down!" she repeated. Ruby pulled at the blonde, and in a few seconds, Blake's feet finally touched the ground.

"Ruby, stay out of this!"

Somehow, Mrs. Goodwitch, who was walking back to her classroom after her own lunch break, caught sight of the three and broke the crowd apart, sending them to their classes. With a disappointed look, she eyed all three of them. "Mr. Ozpin's, now."

Blake Belladonna felt her stomach leap into her throat, looking at Ruby, then at those eyes that burned.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello all! Thank you for reading the first chapter of my new story. This is my first fanfiction (ever), so please leave a review. Any updates will be posted on my profile page. Until next time!**


	2. Dancing with the Dragon

**A/N:** **Hello everyone! Wow, I'm honestly so honored with the positive reviews, follows, and favorites. Thank you so very much. Although this chapter is a** ** _little_** **on the short side (in my opinion), there's lots more to come. Each chapter is one month of the school year, so this month is October, for all of you wondering about the timing of the AU. Anyway. On to the actual story... Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Dancing with the Dragon**

"Blake… _Blake, that's my sister…"_

Mr. Ozpin's office was just behind the wooden door. Ruby's sister sat silently two seats away from Blake, Ruby separating the two, and for the better. Since the incident, she had hardly calmed down, even after Ruby helped her clean off some of the waste. Blake couldn't blame her for feeling so upset about the situation. After all, it was extremely embarrassing. But to be that furious? She had never seen someone so livid.

Ozpin stood tall, his gray hair combed back, his emerald eyes expectant and patient. He was young in appearance as well, although Blake knew he must have been as old as Mr. James Ironwood back in Atlas. She had heard much about the headmaster of Beacon Academy and knew he was important. However, she did not expect him to look like _this._ He was almost attractive, but Blake pushed that idea away as soon as he asked for her to come into his office. Walking into the room, she noticed his extensive library as bookshelves hugged every wall. Somehow, it almost reminded her of her father's study back home. She took a seat in one of the black leather chairs and faced the man.

"I've heard a great deal about you, Miss Belladonna," he started, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

That came as a surprise, rendering her speechless. "I…"

He smirked. "I knew both of your parents. They were former students here at Beacon and graduated two years after me."

"What a small world," Blake commented, unsure of what else to say. As fond as she was of them, right now was not the time to think about her parents with an angry student sitting a few feet away.

"Indeed," he nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "I am very sorry to hear of your loss. But, I am glad that you're here."

"Sir?"

"As you know, Beacon Academy is world-renowned for our impressive academic and athletic programs, and, of course, our other extracurricular activities. It's because we have people like you who are passionate about learning, whether that be inside or outside the classroom." He paused and leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk and staring at her intently. "Your parents were two impressive students."

"I've heard," she smiled. "Thank you."

"There is a reason that you're here at Beacon and not in Atlas. I'm sure your parents saw it, otherwise you'd still be there." Confusion made its way onto her face, he could tell. "But that reason you know little to nothing about. You'll discover it in time. Alright, what are we dealing with now?" he asked himself, taking another drink from his mug. "Right. You've ran into two of the most… special students at my school. Quite literally."

She bowed her head, apologetic. "I'm sorry. It was an accident."

"I'm aware. Ruby Rose, as you know, is only a sophomore. And yet, she's in some of your classes, correct? Yang Xiao Long is particularly interesting in her own right, and I suppose it's up to you to figure out why."

Blake wasn't sure what bearing this had on her situation.

"Had it been any other student, I might've gotten slightly irritated, but since it's the three of you, I'll dismiss the matter."

"Really?" she blurted out. In Atlas, Ironwood would have struck her with an iron rod, or maybe a wood rod, something. She imagined the students of such a prestigious academy to stick to stricter rules to ensure the best sort of behavior.

"I have bigger issues to deal with besides my brightest students bumping into one another, no matter how hard the collision. Apologize and move forward, Miss Belladonna. Mrs. Goodwitch sent you to me so I can meet you formally, not because there is a punishment awaiting you." He hinted at a grin.

Blake stood and bowed. "I appreciate that, Mr. Ozpin."

He hummed. "Send in Miss Xiao Long and her sister, will you?"

As she walked out, she met the blonde's eyes again and noticed that they had changed in color. Was that possible, or was she hallucinating when she thought her eyes were a glowing red? Now, they were a light lilac, and they blinked back at her. "He wants to speak with the both of you."

Ruby stood and gave a small frown. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, tomorrow."

* * *

A week later, Yang Xiao Long stopped Blake in the hallway in the middle of class.

The raven-haired girl had gone to use the restroom and encountered her as she walked back to Mr. Port's class. Nervously, Blake took a step back when she met those bright eyes again, immediately feeling some sort of anxiety creep in. But she hadn't done more than give a straight face. This time, she wasn't covered with trash and appeared as attractive as Blake had noticed before. The girl gave a long sigh before she opened her mouth.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened last week," she mumbled.

Blake felt her throat tighten, unsure why. "It's…"

"That wasn't… What I wanted anyone to see." She looked away, lips pressed into a line. "I'm not really like that all the time. I was having a pretty bad day and that was the last thing I needed."

"I should be the one apologizing," the other girl replied. "I was the one who knocked you into the trash can. If I had been paying attention to where I was going, then the whole situation could have been avoided."

"Yeah," Yang agreed. She scratched her head and ran her fingers through her thick, golden hair. "It's fine now. I should've gone up to you earlier."

"It's okay," Blake smiled a little, trying to be optimistic. "We should be okay now."

"Yeah. I'll see you around." For the first time, Yang smiled at her. It caught Blake off guard and she failed to return the gesture. Then the other girl went around her and back to her class, now that a few minutes had passed. Blake watched her back as she walked away, looking at the way her locks swayed back and forth, the swing of her hips. She might've been seriously hurt by Yang, but she was seriously beautiful. _That may have been the last time we interact,_ Blake thought to herself. She hoped it wasn't.

* * *

The rest of September died away soon enough. More people came to see Blake as a regular student. She had gotten accustomed to the rigor of Beacon, and Ruby was right. In the rankings, Beacon beat Atlas in most areas, especially in academics. She always thought they were of the same caliber, but when she actually started classes, she understood the vast difference. Here, it was much more problem-based, as though they were teaching students to swim by pushing them in the water first. It was harder. Still, she was doing her best and ranked top in most of her classes. Things seemed to be well for her. She adjusted to living alone and found comfort, even. She hadn't drawn that much attention to herself at school, thankfully, and she only spoke to Ruby. Occasionally, she'd see Weiss, but they stayed away from one another.

When October rolled by, she didn't notice a difference in seasons like she would in Boston. But she did see the ice queen herself pull up in her Bentley next to her as she made her way home.

"You walk home?" Weiss piped, a quizzical brow raised. This was the first time they had spoken to one another in weeks.

"Is it uncommon to walk home?" Blake questioned, stopping.

She turned off the radio to hear her better. "You're on the West Coast. We drive out here." The other girl had to bite her tongue to avoid saying something sour. "How far away do you live?"

"About half a mile."

"Huh." Blake was about to continue walking before Weiss cut in, saying, "Do you want to get coffee with me?"

That question caught her off guard completely. "I'm sorry?"

"I think there are some things we should talk about," she tossed her bangs to the side, a bit of a frown lingering on her lips. She wasn't sure if she wanted to climb into her car or not. "It's not like Ruby's here to chase me away. You may as well get in. Or don't."

Blake debated and decided to take the risk. It was just Weiss; how bad could it be? She opened the door and sat down in the expensive car. "You really are rich."

"I'm a Schnee. What do you expect?"

The air was pregnant with something—awkwardness, silence, and maybe some tension as well. Weiss paid attention to the road and Blake noticed how cautious of a driver she was. She was surprised she didn't have a chauffeur to drive her, really. Staring out the window, she watched as the heiress ignored the turn down to the houses near the water and looked at the buildings forming downtown Oxnard. In recent years, the quiet coastal city had grown to house more people and support more businesses. There were lots of different cafes now, but not nearly as many as there were in Boston, she reckoned. Weiss pulled into a parking space right in front of a smaller cafe wedged between a bakery and a sewing shop.

After they had ordered their drinks, Weiss sat them down at a seat nearest the window. Blake took a sip of her English breakfast tea, thankful for how invigorating it was. Her day had been all but relaxing with three tests all in the morning. The snow princess—at least that's what Ruby called her—enjoyed a mocha with extra shots to wake her up. Blake wasn't exactly sure why she was sitting in front of the girl that had caused her to have the most embarrassing moment of her life. If Weiss hadn't pestered her and Ruby, she would've been able to make it to class on time. She wouldn't have pushed Yang into the trash. Her golden eyes took in everything but Weiss: the street, the light posts, the chatty adults in the corner, the noise of the blender.

"I ought to apologize," Weiss sighed, her sapphire orbs meeting Blake. Her voice surprised Blake, causing her to jump a little in her seat. "I don't think I've been exactly kind to you."

"I didn't expect you to be." She wondered if that had been offensive. "I'm sorry. You don't really come off as a very kind person, exactly."

"I'm really not," she acknowledged, weighing her next set of words carefully. "I don't care much how others see me. But I must say, I do care about what others see you as. You perplex me. I know near nothing about you."

Suddenly, the focus of the conversation came back to her. Blake smoothed her hair out, knowing how nervous she felt. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything will suffice. I know that you were a former student at Atlas Academy. My father was going to send me there, but they decided Beacon would be better for obvious reasons." She sipped at her tea and continued. "So why are you here at Beacon if your parents were around Atlas?"

"It's a family matter," Blake said to dodge the question.

"Did they pass away, your parents?"

She frowned, but it did not do to lie. "Yes. They died in July."

Weiss gave her a sympathetic look, and Blake knew it was genuine. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

They let some time pass to kill the damp mood. It was October, and it had been four months, but her parents' death had upset her greatly. Then, in a few minutes, Weiss smirked, finishing the rest of her coffee. "I heard about your run-in with Yang Xiao Long."

She felt the corners of her lips droop down. "I think everyone at Beacon knows about that."

"You don't know very much about her, do you?" she asked. Blake looked up at her. "That girl is something."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean she's the queen of our school."

"And you're not?"

"Me? You dolt, of course not." She laughed heartily. "But I'm flattered that you would think so." She gave a haughty smirk. "I'm a Schnee. We're certainly quite popular, but it's mostly because we have white hair and more money than we can count. But Yang Xiao Long? She's popular because everyone likes her. Even I like her. People don't like Schnees, and we couldn't care less."

 _At least you know what you're like, Weiss._ "What makes Yang so likable?"

"Well, have you seen her?" Weiss' eyes seemed to gleam with admiration. "The girl is gorgeous, first of all, so that already gives her the upper hand. Boys practically drool just to get her attention. And she's not entirely stupid, either. Actually, she appears to be fairly intelligent. I hear she's top of her classes and it makes me wonder if she's third or fourth in our graduating class."

"Who's first?"

Weiss grinned. "Who do you think?"

"Oh."

"That's why it's so remarkable that you had a literal run-in with the star of our school. She's wicked attractive and popular, and here you are, paying little to no mind."

Blake finished her tea, even though it had gone cold. "She didn't seem so friendly."

"Maybe because you knocked her into the trash? Anyway."

Yang's face came to Blake's mind. The few times that she had seen her, she was always doing something, anything that made it hard for her to notice Blake—running in P.E., chatting with friends at lunch, walking to her classes. Their eyes hardly met. If they did, the moment was too brief. She felt like a tiny fly compared to Yang, who was so easy to spot in a crowd. "She's a mystery to me," she confessed.

"She does seem to be a bit more closed off, even to her friends. I haven't spent time with her since last summer, since she broke up with…" Weiss trailed off, unsure if she was at liberty to discuss any more of it.

Blake sighed. "It's hard to think someone would break her heart."

Weiss hummed. "Well, Yang is a tough one. She gets what she wants. Which reminds me. What are you going to do about Homecoming?"

The conversation changed completely. While Blake was still thinking about the lovable blonde, Weiss brought up something she hadn't given a single thought towards. "What about Homecoming?"

"Well, aren't you going?" Weiss leaned in. "It's Homecoming!"

"I haven't attended one since my freshman year," the girl admitted.

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding. This is your senior year, Blake!" she furrowed her brows. "You're going, aren't you?"

She frowned. "I don't have anyone to go with."

"We can fix that easily." Weiss smiled. "Why don't we talk about it tomorrow at lunch?"

She thought about Ruby. _What is she going to say?_ "Weiss, really, I don't need a date for Homecoming if I'm not going."

"You're going," she hissed, "you dolt."

* * *

"You're eating lunch with Weiss?" Ruby pouted, seeming hurt to some degree.

Blake gave an apologetic smile as they walked out of Calculus together. "Yes. There's something we need to talk about."

"It's not me, is it?" she frowned.

"No." Thinking back to yesterday, she saw the Schnee girl's long, silky white hair, her delicate fingers, those sapphire eyes. As warm as she was yesterday, she always appeared cold. But even then she was so beautiful _. Like snow._ Blake hadn't noticed that she bore a scar that ran down her left eye until yesterday. She wondered about that the whole evening. "Why do you hate Weiss so much?"

The smaller brunette struggled to find words. "It's not that we hate each other. She's just mean."

Blake didn't tell Ruby that she had met with her yesterday afternoon. "I think she's just putting up a front. She isn't so bad."

"If you say so…" They stopped at the courtyard. Today a few clouds here and there scattered and diffused the sunlight, making for a grayer day. Weiss sat on one of the benches alone, waiting for her. "What are you going to be doing for lunch?"

"I'll chat with other friends," Ruby smiled. "I'll probably eat in Oobleck's classroom."

She didn't bother to ask why. "Okay. I'll see you later."

Walking over to Weiss, Blake noticed that her hair was up, off to the side like usual, but that the pins she had in today…sparkled. The girl noticed her golden eyes observing such a small matter and ordered, "Sit. Homecoming."

Blake took her seat next to her. "What about it?"

"I've set you up," she cooed playfully.

She stood up again. "What?!"

"I've set you up, kitten!" The smile on her lips might've been triumphant, but it made Blake tremble.

"I'm not even going to Homecoming!"

"Oh _hush!_ Goodness, if you'd just listen to me." She scowled. "You're going to Homecoming with Yang."

Blake thought she'd lose her breakfast right then and there. " _What?!"_

"Okay, not _with_ her with her, but _with_ her. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Hopelessly, she answered, "No."

"Don't be so clueless! You're going in her Homecoming group. I've set you up with Sun Wukong."

 _Monkey boy?_ That's what everyone called him at school. She had him in a few of her classes, so she knew he wasn't that bad, but she didn't really know who he was. "Weiss, I've never even met Sun."

"He knows who you are," she grinned. "And he thinks you're cute."

The golden-eyed girl felt heat rush into her cheeks and she cursed herself for blushing. "That still doesn't fix my issue…"

"Well, you'll get to know him at Homecoming I guess. Oh, here he comes!" She lowered her voice down to a whisper. "He's going to ask you right now. Make sure to say yes!"

"Weiss, no—"

"Miss Belladonna?" a voice called out from behind her. Reluctantly, Blake turned her body to be greeted by the boy with tousled, blonde hair. Eagerly, he smiled down at her and presented a bouquet of roses from behind his back. Okay, maybe he was cute. "Will you go to Homecoming with me?"

 _You have_ got _to be kidding me!_ What other option did she have? She couldn't say no to him like this. Suddenly, a group that had followed him cheered and the whole courtyard noticed the ordeal. Now she _really_ couldn't say no. Among the many, many eyes were lilac orbs, and Blake found them easily. Yang had a puzzled look on her face, and it seemed even she didn't know about this. What did she think about the whole thing? Then she noticed a turn of her lips and saw that she was smiling. And God, her smile made her look even more beautiful, if that was possible. Blake tried to smile back, but Weiss, proudly filming the whole thing right behind them, squealed in excitement, reminding her of the situation.

"Hello? Earth to Blake," Sun was mumbling all while she was looking at Yang, having a hard time tearing her eyes away from her. _Why?_ She snapped her head back to him.

"… Yes," came her small reply.

Blake's knees threatened to give out under her. It was then that she understood Weiss; she had asked Sun last night to do this, giving Blake no choice but to say yes, unless she wanted to crush his heart and appear like the bad girl to the rest of the public. She couldn't be sure if Weiss was clever or incredibly stupid, but whatever it was, it worked.

* * *

With only two more days left until the fateful Saturday, Blake and Ruby went shopping to find the right dress. After two hours, the girls found it: a lovely, short dress, styled with silver jewels near her waist and down her chest. They had settled on a beautiful shade of plum and a low neckline to accent her collarbones. The whole time while they were shopping, Ruby was in disbelief that all of it could have been orchestrated so carefully and quickly. And by one person! _You really don't have to go,_ Ruby had mentioned to her. _If I were you, I'd probably just stay home._ She wished so badly that she would go with her. She'd have a much better time anyway. As Blake laid in her bed, comfortable underneath a warm blanket, she eyed the dress hanging outside her closet and sighed.

Weiss had gone over the plan several times, but Blake still couldn't wrap her head around the whole matter. Sun was going to pick her up to take pictures and eat dinner, then they'd go to the dance. It was already a stretch to go out and dance. At least Sun was nice. He was cute, somewhat, and he treated her nicely, which was more than Blake could ask, given that she still considered him a stranger.

Yang was going to be in her Homecoming group. She realized then that she hadn't spoken to her very much and she, too, was a stranger. But unlike the rest of the group that included people like Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune Arc, Neptune, Weiss, and more, Blake actually _wanted_ to get to know Yang. Everyone seemed straightforward: Pyrrha was the school's best athlete, Neptune was incredibly gorgeous, Weiss unusually rich… But Yang seemed to be the most normal out of the whole group, like she was popular just because she was nice and pretty. Of course, there must've been more to it than that.

On Saturday, Blake invited Ruby over to help her dress.

"Your hair is so pretty," the brunette complimented her as she finished curling the jet-black locks. "I love it."

"Thanks," the girl smiled, looking at her reflection. Ruby had been nice enough to offer to do her hair.

"Yang and I used to do each other's hair all the time. But I've always had shorter hair so I like to do stuff with Yang's. It's so much easier with yours. It's not as thick."

Blake hadn't pestered Ruby with questions about her sister, mostly because she didn't want to come off as obsessed or anything remotely close. She thought of Beacon's most popular student and wondered how beautiful she would look tonight. If she could have boys at her feet on a daily basis in a school uniform, she could have _anyone_ tonight. "That's really sweet. I wish you were going."

"I don't," she laughed. "I don't like dances and dressing up like that."

"You would look pretty," Blake commented. Ruby shook her head with a smile.

"Eh, sure. You're done now, though! And now you're going to have a lot of fun."

Taking one last look, she stood and turned to her friend, satisfied with her appearance. "Thank you. I feel like a princess."

Shuffling her feet together, Ruby peered up at Blake. Her friend stood nearly half a foot taller than she did. "Blake… You _are_ going to have fun, right? I mean, I know Weiss sort of pushed you to be with Sun just so you can go to Homecoming. You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"At this point, it would be disrespectful if I didn't. But I do appreciate your concern. I'll do my best to enjoy the evening."

That's why, at dinner, Blake tried as hard as she could to be a conversationalist. Sun sat across from her and had offered to pay for her dinner, so she ordered herself a seafood plate and enjoyed the delicious meal. He was nice the entire time, complimenting her on her outfit, pouring her drink, paying attention to her when she spoke. Pictures had gone well. They were just pictures, she reminded herself, so she flashed her nicest smile for the camera. Blake was trying, and that in itself should've earned her something.

Weiss had turned to her sometime and whispered that this group included the "stars of the school." The group was much bigger than she initially thought it would be. In total, there were nine couples, all of whom regarded Blake nicely. But the true star of the night sat five seats down, munching away happily at her food. She looked absolutely stunning, adorned by a halter-top, navy dress, ending just above her knee. Part of the fabric had been cut away, exposing her midriff and her shoulders. Blake could never pull something like that off. Her hair cascaded down her back in large, loose curls, crowning her elegantly. Yang hadn't said much to her throughout pictures and dinner, mostly because they hadn't stood or sat near one another. But each time their eyes met, she always gave Blake a smile, and that was enough to suffice. She shook her head to herself. _You're obsessed._

"Something wrong?" Sun asked, noticing her.

"No," she answered a bit too quickly.

He didn't ask.

Pictures and dinner required her to sit. But the dance, well… that required her to dance, and she didn't feel the beat of the music in her heart. Or anywhere, really. While the rest of the group went off to bump and grind near the center of the dance floor, Blake stood awkwardly with Sun. He encouraged her to dance, but she felt too strange letting his hands roam around her waist like that. Weiss scorned her for not getting her grind on. Blake simply dismissed her, asking if Sun wanted to sit down and chat for the evening. She knew he didn't, but she appreciated the fact that he did. His usually unruly hair had been combed over to the side for the evening, and it was then that she noticed that he had gray eyes, dark like stones. Despite this, he was soft the entire night, always calling Blake beautiful, always minding her whenever they'd walk or sit around one another. At 10:30, with about thirty minutes of dance time left, he went up to enjoy his evening, albeit reluctant to leave Blake. She pushed him to do so, wanting to breathe and sit by herself for a little while.

Of course, her break wouldn't last very long.

Two minutes had passed before Yang waltzed over to her, catching her eye as soon as she walked out of the gym. She gave a tired grin and pulled out the chair opposite her where Sun had been sitting just a few minutes before. Blake tensed and sat straight in her chair. Was she really going to sit down and chat with Yang? She couldn't even bother her for—

"Hey, Blake," she said gracefully, as if the two had been friends for years. She rested her head on her arm, no doubt exhausted from the hours of dancing and talking. "What are you doing out here?"

"Huh?" Suddenly Blake's tongue seemed to be the hardest muscle to control. "Umm. I didn't feel like dancing."

"Really? No wonder I didn't see you out on the floor…" she mumbled to herself. "Have you been out here the whole time?"

"No, Sun has been sitting with me. He just got up to go back in there."

"Huh." She put her hand to her mouth to cover a yawn. "So… You've been sitting out here."

"Yes."

"You should've told me or something, I would've gotten you to bust some moves." Yang grinned. "How are you tonight?"

"I'm…" She was at a loss of words. "I'm feeling really good."

"I'm glad you could see me like this, way different from whenever the thing happened, right?"

"Yes… Although, I harbor no bad feelings." She was different. Yes, certainly, absolutely. This Yang was actually _talking_ to her and _listening_ and present. She was no longer a figment of her imagination, but an actual person, speaking to her.

Blake wanted to say something besides giving answers to her questions, but even the most courteous phrases like, _How are you?_ or _Are you enjoying yourself?_ failed to pop in her brain. The best she could do was give Yang her full attention. The girl crossed her legs and relaxed in the chair. Blake noticed a few beads of sweat that weren't present earlier, and that some of her hair had started to straighten as well. "You look like you've been having a great time, Yang," Blake commented.

"Probably smell like it too," the other girl laughed. "Say, Blake, why don't you go in and dance?"

She was dumbfounded. "What?"

"You should go dance! I bet Sun's wanting to get his groove on with you in there," she winked playfully.

Blake felt her face flush, her cheeks burning hot. "Umm… He's probably dancing with someone already, don't you think?"

"I'll dance with you!" she stood quickly. "Think of it as my way of apologizing and starting a new friendship."

And before she knew it, Blake felt her whole body being dragged into the dark gym. Neon colors flashed on and off, and the lights made the room spin. The DJ ended a hip-hop song and transitioned into something more perky, something more likely to get Blake to dance. She couldn't see Yang very well with how dark the room was, but she felt her radiate joy as she watched her silhouette jump up and down. Everything felt like a dream. The girl that had, just a week earlier, threatened to hurt her was now holding her hands and jubilantly celebrating a high school tradition with her. Blake couldn't help but move along with her, even though they were horribly out of time.

"You should be having fun!" she heard Yang yell over the bass of the music.

"I am!" And it wasn't a lie. For the first time since her parents had passed away, Blake felt genuinely ecstatic, being so close to this person that fascinated her so much. Though the night was coming to a close for the other students, her evening was just beginning as she held Yang's hands tighter in hers. She couldn't understand how anyone could be like Yang and be so real. She didn't even know Blake! Weiss was right when she explained why everyone liked Yang so much, because Blake liked her for that same reason.

She was kind, and Blake wondered if it was because someone had been unkind to her in the past.

* * *

 **A/N:** **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Trust me, there's way more Bumblebee to come in the next chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 are full of character development... so sorry if it seems kind of slow. It'll get fluffier. Thanks for reading, see you soon!**


	3. One, Two, Turkey!

**A/N:** **Hello everyone! Here is the third chapter. We are now in November. This chapter is a bit longer than the one before. Enjoy the ride!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three: One, Two, Turkey!**

On her Sunday mornings, Blake liked to enjoy a few more minutes in bed, feeling the soft covers on her skin, watching the sun creep in through the shades. Often she would wake before her alarm at eight o'clock, enjoying the peace and tranquility of the early morning. She didn't have to listen carefully to hear the crashing of the waves, since the world was so quiet at that time. Sometimes, if she felt up to it, she'd go out on a jog to wake herself up before tackling the duties of the day. They were always invigorating, as Sundays were her days of rest.

But today she woke up at ten o'clock and a little sore.

Tired, she swung her legs off the bed, letting a small sigh escape as she felt the air bite at her uncovered skin. Her feet made contact with the floor and soon enough she was walking over to the bathroom to be rid of the awful morning breath. With her eyes half-lidded, she started brushing her teeth and soon after splashed some cold water on her face to wake herself up. Looking up, she noticed her eyes looked darker than usual, like someone had drawn on them with some… eyeliner? Then she remembered that she had gotten home later than midnight when Sun drove her home after the dance. After the dance with Yang… She stared at herself in the mirror, incredulous.

What was last night?

 _That dance came out of nowhere._

Shaking her head, Blake found some makeup remover—unopened, as she never had a use for it—and removed the rest of last night off her face. She hadn't had that much fun in a while, she had to admit, and she thoroughly enjoyed being around Yang. There was something about that girl that made life much more vibrant, breathing more life into the colors around her, making each song sweeter. She couldn't handle how gorgeous (sexy, really) she looked last night. And getting the chance to hold the most popular girl's hand, that in itself was—

 _You are_ definitely _obsessed,_ Blake thought to herself, pouring herself a bowl of cereal. Strangely enough, the voice in her head sounded very much like Weiss, and she wondered if the heiress had a good time with Neptune after the dance. Those two were an interesting pair.

Today, the homework load wasn't nearly as bad as she had anticipated it to be, even with Homecoming yesterday. She finished her coursework before noon and found herself wondering what to do with her afternoon and evening. Normally, she'd find a book off her shelf to burn through with her spare time. But today, as she was doing her laundry, she found herself thinking about Yang every three minutes and wondered about the strangest of things. There were so many unanswered questions. She couldn't be sure why she was so fixated on getting to know her, but she was. She'd known who she was for almost two months now, but she didn't _know_ her at all. So she mustered some courage and decided to text Ruby.

Quickly, she typed out a message, hoping she'd read it soon. **Hey, Ruby. Last night went really well. I enjoyed it. Thank you for helping me with my hair**.

Ruby responded within half a minute. Blake imagined her small thumbs dancing on the screen and smiled. **No problem!** **Good to hear! :D So did my sister, she told me she got you to dance!**

She didn't know why, but she blushed. She measured her words carefully and came up with a response. **She looked really beautiful last night.**

 **Yang always does lol** came back faster than expected. **You should tell her that though, haha I bet she'd be flattered!**

Blake would have loved to say so, but that wasn't really an option right now. As she was trying to type something in reply, Ruby sent her another message.

 **I think you two would make good friends too. You should hang out with Yang more often, I think she likes you**

Her heart stopped beating for a few seconds as she read over her last phrase. Of course, it wasn't the kind of _like_ that Blake would've— _wait a minute_! She mentally scolded herself and texted Ruby back. **I'd love to get to know her better.**

* * *

While the rest of her classmates stressed about quarter grades being entered in, Blake felt no sense of anxiety, as she had studied diligently before her tests. Most students had, but some students enjoyed themselves a bit too much last Saturday and forgot that November—the end of first quarter—was this week. For the golden-eyed girl, classes weren't horribly hard, although they did prove to be a challenge. Naturally, her favorite class was English, officially titled AP English Literature and Composition. Having gone through most of the classics on her own, Blake was familiar with the books they read in class and had no trouble. She actually enjoyed listening to Mr. Port, who usually rambled on and on about the books. It was her favorite class for multiple reasons.

Today just happened to present a new reason.

"Yo, Yang!" Sun piped up from behind her, interrupting Mr. Port's long rant on how even he dreaded John Steinbeck.

Blake perked up instantly at the sound of her name. The blonde sauntered in, her textbook in hand. She sent a grin over to Sun and turned to the teacher.

"Ah, yes, that's right, you're now part of the class! I'm surprised they waited this long to fix your schedule, Miss Xiao Long."

"Yeah, no kidding." Yang laughed.

"We were just in the middle of discussing the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Perhaps you know of it? We're writing essays next week, so make sure you read the book in full to understand it. Now, as I was saying…" he trailed off.

Yang spotted the empty seat to Blake's left and set her stuff down. Just her presence was enough to make the poor girl freeze up a little bit. She noticed and gave a casual grin. "Morning, Blake."

"G-Good morning, Yang," she stammered. _Control yourself._ "It's nice to see you."

"Yeah, you too. It's nice to finally have the schedule I asked for," she chuckled, keeping her voice low. Port was so immersed in the "class discussion," which was, really, just another ramble, that he didn't notice the two were chatting.

"What happened?"

"The scheduling department completely missed over my request last year. Guess they were too busy? I dunno. Anyway. I'll be in this class for the rest of the year." Yang played with her pencil, twirling it around her finger. "How were quarter tests for ya?"

"Um… They were okay, I suppose. I didn't find them to be too hard."

"Oh, lucky. I haven't been on top of my game so I had to cram it all, but I bet I'll be fine," she flashed a confident smile. "That's usually how it turns out."

Blake wasn't surprised. "That's good luck. I love English."

"Yeah?" she raised her eyebrows. "I bet you could probably give Weiss a run for her money then."

"Well…" She didn't think before she opened her mouth the next time. "I can help you if you struggle in this class."

"Definitely. We'll have to study sometime or something, ya know? I'll hold you to that offer," she winked and turned back to at least give Port some of her attention.

Blake gave a weak smile, hoping she would.

As classes ended and she was wrapping up her day at school, Blake ran into Weiss on her way to the locker. Since they were headed in the same direction, Blake walked closer to her until they seemed to be together. "Good afternoon, Weiss."

"Hello, Blake," came her polite reply. She seemed to be beaming a smile on her face. That was unnatural. Every time she saw the ice queen, she was frowning, but clearly not today.

"Is everything okay?"

"Oh yes, Blake. Everything is dandy." They reached a corner and stopped. "I'm going on a date with Neptune tomorrow."

"Really now? That's very nice. I hope you enjoy it," she offered.

"Of course I'll enjoy it, it's Neptune! He's so dreamy," she drooled, her head in wonderland. But the dream only lasted so long before she realized where she was. Clearing her throat, she asked, "So, how did it go between you and Sun?"

"Quite well," _but not as well as it went with Yang._ "I think he's really sweet." That wasn't a lie.

Weiss smirked. "Well, Neptune and Sun are best friends. If you're interested in more, you ought to tell me. Maybe there's something Neptune and I can do for you." The fact that she referred to herself and the blue-haired boy as though they were already a couple was comical to Blake.

"I'm not interested," she declined.

The girl hummed. "So be it. I'll see you tomorrow, Blake."

"See you tomorrow, Weiss."

* * *

Blake released a groan, stretching out her arms and sinking further into her sofa. Usually, she didn't have the time to turn on the TV and watch a movie, but tonight, she could enjoy that luxury. Although living alone could get lonely—even for her, who loved to be by herself—it did allow her to do things on her own time and at her own pace. Blake, being meticulous and organized, had a solid schedule for when to do laundry, wash the dishes, shower, and more. However, for now, she could enjoy a night with Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley as she watched their vampire romances unfold on the screen. The week was tough dealing with more tests. She deserved to veg for her Friday. Just as she was getting comfortable, her phone buzzed on the coffee table in front of her. She unlocked the device and read over the text message from Ruby.

 **Busy tonight?**

She wondered if she needed help with Calculus or something. **Not particularly, why?**

Her reply came within seconds. **Oh thank god! I'm so bored here without a friend. Wanna watch Yang's game?**

Blake chuckled, actually thinking she could relax for the rest of the evening. She forgot Yang played volleyball. **She has a game?**

 **Yeah! It's against Santa Clara. Please come! :( I have to be here before the actual game and it'll be so boring if I don't have a friend with me! I'll buy you something at the concession stand if you do! Please :( It's districts!**

Blake sighed, knowing she couldn't say no. Ruby and her sister were worth much more than a TV night anyway. **I'll be there soon!**

Within twenty minutes, the golden-eyed girl found herself walking into Beacon Academy's impressive, spacious gym. This was the first time she had been in, since she wasn't taking physical education or playing a sport. Enormous and well-kept, the gym sat more than a thousand people on the home section, parents and students alike ready to cheer on their team. It was, arguable, the best facility to house the large competition. She glanced up at the bleachers to find Ruby, meeting her eyes after a few seconds. She made her way up and took her seat next to the girl. Fortunately, they sat close to the court, making for a good view.

"Ooohh, thank you so much for coming!" Ruby exclaimed as she hugged her friend tightly. "Now I won't be so bored!"

But Blake wasn't sure how she could ever be bored at a volleyball game. On the floor, Beacon's finest set of girls warmed up, setting the ball to one another and practicing their bumps. The opposing team wore bright red and contrasted greatly against the forest green of the prestigious academy, reminding her of Christmas. The guests nearly filled up the opposite side of the gym, eager to watch the two best teams in the district to face off for a chance to compete on the state level. In the sea of color, Blake spotted _Xiao Long_ on the girl's back, number 9 out on the floor. Yang stretched out her calves, her look determined and intimidating. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, although even that didn't seem to contain her wild, thick, golden hair very well.

"There she is," Blake mumbled to herself, a small smile creeping on her face.

"Y'know, of all the things Yang does, I think volleyball might be her second favorite."

"What's her favorite?"

Ruby shrugged. "Boxing? I dunno, you'd have to ask her."

"Huh." _No wonder her arms are so toned._ "This is my first time watching her in a match."

"Really? Well, I guess you always stay home to do homework," Ruby laughed. "You sure are in for something! Yang is really, _really_ good at volleyball."

As if she heard her sister, the lilac-eyed girl looked over to the stands and saw the two sitting only three rows up. She sent them a playful wink and a thumbs-up before turning back to her teammates. Blake felt her heart race again. She really wasn't sure what on Earth was going on with her, but she knew that it was _not_ normal.

Then, the announcer came onto the speakers, signaling the beginning of the match. The two teams huddled, encouraging one another to play their very best. Beacon's girls let out a cry of excitement and adrenaline, getting in their positions. Santa Clara lined up, appearing more cautious than thrilled. Blake watched Yang move into the attacking zone, taking her place as the center forward. She might not have been the tallest person on the team, but somehow, Blake figured that wouldn't be an issue.

"Go get 'em, Yang!" cried out Ruby.

Soon enough, the match was underway. The volley began as Santa Clara's setter breathed life into the game, sending the ball over the net. Blake watched Pyrrha gracefully bump the ball into the air for Nora Valkyrie to set it in place, letting Yang jump and attempt a spike. Easily, her hand made contact and resulted in a kill. She yelled out, scoring the first point of the match. Blake had never seen a person with that large of a vertical, and suddenly she knew why the coach had put Yang near the net. She saw the ball go up, watch the server's hand strike it, and watched the volley begin. Although Santa Clara set up their attack efficiently, Pyrrha was quick to meet the ball before it could touch their court. This time, Santa Clara met Nora's attack, now understanding how aggressive Beacon's girls were, but failed to launch the ball over the net. Another easy kill, another easy point.

The game progressed in the same manner, with Beacon winning the first set by a seven-point lead. Yang was on fire, having scored almost half of the points. All the while, Ruby was cheering her sister and her teammates on, yelling their names and shouting other encouragements. Blake remained quiet throughout most of the match, but occasionally she'd whisper aloud the times the ball had been touched on Beacon's side, her golden eyes never leaving the ball. After five minutes, the next set started. Blake noticed something, someone, new on Santa Clara's team… and gasped at the sheer _height_ of the girl.

"It appears Santa Clara has switched out their center forward to make room for Miss Brenda Hazel!" announced Mr. Oobleck, clearly excited by the substitution.

Mr. Port continued the commentary. "Hazel is known to be one of the finest volleyball players in the state, having made the state volleyball team to compete in nationals two years in a row and helping bring her team to victory. This is the first year she is playing for Santa Clara." The Santa Clara crowd roared, keen to see their power-player change up the game.

Blake could see Yang's lips twitch up into a smile, obviously interested in this new challenge. Pyrrha, the team captain, cautioned them before allowing Nora to serve the ball. Blake watched the right blocker save the ball from touching the floor, setting up a spike for Brenda Hazel. Pyrrha went up to defend the ball, but it was too late, and Blake saw a streak of white rocket towards Beacon's court. The referee blew the whistle and waved the flag to Santa Clara's side. Pyrrha apologized to her team, amazed that the star-player missed, but they rotated and continued the play. The next time, even though it was Yang this time who spiked, another girl from the team in red played the ball over to Brenda and the ball found its way to Beacon's floor again.

"It's like they have a Yang of their own…" Ruby murmured to herself, worried.

It was Santa Clara's time to cheer as they won the set, Beacon trailing a sore nine points behind. Beacon's crowd never silenced itself and only shouted for the girls to keep up the effort, but Blake could feel her chest cave in a little. She watched as Pyrrha, Invincible Girl as they called her at school, gather up her girls and watched her mouth move, no doubt in efforts to increase the little morale they had left. Her eyes caught sight of Yang's for half a second before the power player tore them away. She swore they were red again.

With Brenda Hazel out on the floor, the game changed significantly, as Beacon struggled to find tactics and ways to handle the new, more aggressive, plays. Blake found herself immersed in the game, leaning forward and occasionally cheering at different points of the night. The only person she yelled for, though, was Yang, as she put her complete faith and trust that Beacon would win tonight in her. She was, after all, their star. She followed the way her body moved, the defined muscles in her legs, the growl she'd emit each and every time she'd attack, the blaze in her eyes. After suffering another lost set, Beacon was worried their team would lose district and fail to advance.

But when they played the fourth set, Beacon changed their tactics. With a new found sense of determination, the girls played excellently, their passes well received, their attacks targeting the weakest areas of the opposite court. Santa Clara lost by five points, a significant victory for the girls in green after their embarrassing loss two sets ago.

"If Santa Clara wins this next set, they advance to state," Ruby sighed.

"If we win this next set, we advance to state. They can do it." Blake nodded. "I feel it."

The girls went into a fifth set. Unlike the previous four, however, this set would be played to fifteen points. Blake watched Yang whisper something to Pyrrha, who gave her a suspicious, unsure look. They both moved into their respective positions, Yang in the center and Pyrrha standing directly behind her. Soon, the set was underway as Santa Clara served the ball first. Velvet Scarlatina called out and the first point went to Beacon on account of an easy mistake. Reminding her team not to get too cocky, Pyrrha tossed the ball over to Nora, ready to serve. She sent the ball flying to Santa Clara and Brenda Hazel returned it, powerfully spiking and hoping for a kill. But Yang was quick, and her slide saved the ball from reaching the floor. Velvet dug and Pyrrha took the liberty of scoring the next point for her team.

Although Santa Clara put up a good fight, Yang instantly found their power-player instead turned to be their greatest weakness. The defense would set the balls to her each time in hopes that her killer strikes would produce more points, but Beacon read each and every single move. With the match-point on Beacon's hands, they served the ball. One… two… three… and the ball found itself back in their court. And just as they had before, Pyrrha dug, Nora set, and Beacon's very own Yang Xiao Long leaped up into the air, her arm drawn back, before releasing a vicious snarl. The ball met her hand and kissed Santa Clara's court. The buzzer went off, the referee blew the last whistle, and Beacon's girls were victorious. They were going to state.

Amid the ensuing chaos, Ruby and Blake managed to find Yang before her team retreated to the locker room. Beaming up at her sister, Ruby threw her arms around her neck, shouting excitedly.

"You guys did it! You're going to state!" she wailed.

"I know!" Yang laughed, setting her down. "I've gotta shower though, I smell horrible." She looked over at Blake, her tired smile seeming appreciative. "Thanks for watching me out there, Blake."

Hearing her name roll off her tongue sent her heart to cloud nine. She smiled. "Of course. You did really well. You should be proud."

"I sure am!" Nora Valkyrie squeaked, hugging Yang tightly. "Come on girl, we've gotta get changed!"

It took twenty minutes for Yang to emerge from the women's locker room and wander back into the gym. The place had cleared within that time and there were only a few people left besides Ruby and Blake. With her hair let down and in a pair of comfortable sweatpants and a tank top, she met the two, visibly exhausted. "Oh man, I am going to sleep like a baby."

"Dad's going to be so happy to hear about tonight!"

As they were making their way out of the gym and to the parking lot, Yang turned to Blake. "How did you get here?"

"Huh? Oh. I walked here."

The evening sky had already blanketed them, though, and the stars were starting to shine above them. The last rays of the sun vanished, leaving them in the dark. Concerned, she turned to the raven-haired girl. "How are you getting home then? It's already dark."

She hadn't thought that far.

Ruby hummed, trying to find a solution. "Maybe she can find a ride? Oh! Isn't Pyrrha still here?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah, she hasn't left yet."

"Oh, but I don't know Pyrrha very well…" Blake's voice was soft. Even though the red-head was always polite to her and they shared a few classes together, she didn't feel comfortable enough to ask her to take her home.

"No biggie. I'll take you home," Yang chuckled. "Pyrrha won't mind taking Ruby."

Blake protested. "Are you sure? That's a lot to ask. I know you want to get home."

"I want to take you home," the blonde replied. "There's no way we'll let you walk in the dark like this!"

"Yeah! And Pyrrha is super duper friendly. I think she likes me enough to take me home," Ruby argued. "Just ride with Yang, she'll get you back soon. Pyrrha knows where we live too!"

Defeated, Blake hugged Ruby. "Thank you. I'll see you on Monday, then."

This was the first time Blake had ever been alone with Yang. She walked over to Yang's parking spot with her, and, much to her surprise, saw a yellow motorcycle instead of a car. Yang pulled her helmet over her head, sitting down on the vehicle.

"Sorry Blake, but you've gotta ride without a helmet."

"That's okay," she responded, taking her seat behind her. "I didn't know you drove a motorcycle."

She heard her snicker. "Yeah, most people are pretty surprised when they find out." She paused before starting it up. "Uh… You're going to have to wrap your arms around me, unless you want to fall off," she chuckled.

Blake blushed and leaned forward. Shyly, she wrapped her arms around the girl's waist and held tightly onto Yang, hugging her from behind. The blonde kicked and the engine grumbled, coming to life in less than a second. "Where do you live?"

"Coastal Heights."

"Huh! By the ocean! Alright Bumblebee, let's go!"

Leaving Beacon in the dust, the two zipped to the outskirts of town. Initially worried about her lack of a helmet, Blake felt grateful later on as she leaned her head onto Yang. She felt warm, even with the rush of the air around them. Somehow, it felt natural to be holding her like this. Even if it was only for a few moments, she could enjoy the soft fabric of her jacket, her heat, her scent. As Yang took the last turn, she smiled to herself, feeling Blake breathe into her back. Her motorcycle came to a slow as they stopped in front of Blake's beach house.

"Whoa… This is your house?" Yang wondered aloud in awe, turning Bumblebee off.

"Yeah," Blake blushed, climbing off and reluctantly letting go of her. "Thank you again for the ride."

"Nah, it's no problem. See ya Monday." Yang grinned and got off of her motorcycle to watch her go inside her house before leaving. Blake followed suit and walked to the steps of her front porch. But before she could open the door, Yang spoke. "Hey Blake?"

"Yes?" she turned around in an instant.

"Uh…" She seemed at a loss for words. "Weiss… told me about your situation."

She didn't even have to ask. A pang bit into her heart, her smile fading away as she looked at Yang's small frown. "Why did she do that?"

"I… I kind of asked." Lilac eyes met gold, apologetic, shiny in the moonlight. "I'm sorry. I should've just asked you, huh? But you weren't around and I was curious, so I asked Weiss, because I know you two are friends." Walking over to her, she held her hands, just like she did at Homecoming. "Listen. I asked because I wanted to ask you something."

She swallowed thickly and her breath hitched at her touch. "What is it?"

"Since you're going to be alone… Would you want to join my family for Thanksgiving dinner?" Yang watched as Blake's eyes widened and she gave her hands a squeeze. "I'm sorry! It's just, y'know, with how nice you've been to my little sister and me and you being alone, I thought I'd extend the invitation, and it's fine if you don't wanna—"

Blake noticed that Yang, like her sister, rambled when she was in a panic. Without thinking, she pulled her into a hug, her head resting just over her shoulder. "Yang, I would love to eat dinner with your family." Tears threatened to spill out her eyes, but she fought them hard. "I'm grateful that you'd invite me."

"Oh, good," Yang sighed, visibly relieved. She looked at Blake and smiled, pinching her cheek. "You sure are a cool cat. I'll catch you on Monday. I'm so happy you're my friend."

She watched as the lovely girl put on her helmet and climbed atop Bumblebee, leaving her after throwing up a peace sign. Blake sighed, wishing she could be that close to Yang more often. She smelled like citrus: sweet, tangy, irresistible.

* * *

Blake never had so much trouble deciding what to wear. The outfit for the evening had two contestants: a little black dress used for all sorts of occasions and a deep maroon dress specially meant for parties and dinners. After spending fifteen minutes just looking at both dresses, she opted for the maroon, deciding that black seemed too grim and mournful for such a fun celebration. She smiled to herself, excited to see how the evening would go. In the past two weeks, Blake and Ruby had spent a significant amount of time with one another. They decided to study together after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and more often than not Blake would see Yang as well. She hadn't ever been spent time with either of them outside of school however, with the exception of the volleyball game three weeks ago. This was her chance to really get to know Yang.

The Rose-Xiao Long family lived on the opposite side of town, more than four miles away, so Yang offered to pick Blake up and drive over. Nervously, she waited on her front porch for the girl, sitting on one of the chairs she set out there for the times she'd read outside. Something was going on in her head and her heart concerning Yang. It wasn't normal. She would never feel this anxious waiting on any of her friends and, even with how awkward she could be, Blake _never_ rehearsed conversations in her head. But she did for Yang, and when she showed up, she thought she'd panic.

Instead of Bumblebee, Yang drove the family car, an older Honda Accord. Blake opened the door and sat down, looking at her.

"I figured you'd be wearing a dress, knowing you." Yang chuckled, dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a yellow, v-neck shirt.

Blake felt overdressed. "Is it too much?"

"Nah. You look cute," she complimented.

A rush of heat attacked her cheeks. "Thanks…"

She stayed silent the whole way there, occasionally looking at Yang. The blonde was mouthing the words to the song on the radio, leaving Blake to wonder if she sang a lot when she was alone. Yang parked the car in the driveway of a normal, suburban house. Rose bushes surrounded the outside of the house and adorned it nicely, giving it bursts of colors here and there. They lived in one of the newer parts of Oxnard and Blake realized these houses couldn't be older than ten years. The two exited the car and made their way into the household.

The house was warm, cozy, and inviting. As the savory smell of turkey wafted through the air, Blake observed the furniture, the paintings, the many pictures around the house. She could tell that this love filled this household and it made her miss her own parents and her family. Yang noticed her eyes and pulled her into the dining room, ornately decorated with the finest set of china for the evening. "Dad doesn't ever take out the china unless it's for a holiday," Ruby commented as soon as she saw Blake. "Thank you for coming!"

"It's a pleasure," she returned.

Walking into the room came a tall, middle-aged man, with a head of blonde hair and a kind smile. Blake imagined he must have been very handsome in his youth, although the years have given way to wrinkles and a thicker figure. "You must be Miss Blake," he greeted her and held his hand out.

She shook his hand with both of hers. "Yes, sir."

"Oh, don't call me sir," he chuckled. "Tai is fine. You're a friend to Ruby and Yang, so you're like a daughter to me as well," he smiled. "You've been kind to both of them."

"On the contrary, they've been the ones to show me great kindness. I'm so happy I could be here for Thanksgiving," she said truthfully.

"You're more than welcome to come here whenever you'd like, Blake."

"And I'm sure she will!" Yang piped up, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. The gesture almost made Blake blush again, but she followed it up with, "But I'm hungry. Let's get dinner going, yeah?"

"Yeah dad," Ruby said from around the corner, bringing in the turkey all by herself from the kitchen. " We need to eat!"

"Okay, okay, you hungry monsters."

Dinner consisted of multiple dishes that proved difficult to select between. Taiyang, Ruby and Yang's father, took a leg of the turkey, some cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and extra stuffing. Ruby, being a huge fan of pasta, took almost a quarter of the spaghetti and some turkey. Yang hungrily took a leg of the turkey and mashed potatoes for her first plate. Blake settled for some of the turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. The family ate their hearty meals and let the radio station playing in the background fill in the silence whenever they weren't talking. Over dinner, though, they all covered many topics: which folks at school were applying to which colleges, volleyball, grades, and more.

After an hour of eating, the four of them slouched in their chairs. Blake tried her best to sit up straight, but after eating two plates full of food, she felt tired. Taiyang rose from his chair and started clearing off the table. "Ruby, help me with the food, will you?"

The girl pouted. "Why can't Yang do it?"

"I'll help, geez," she answered.

"Me too," Blake offered.

Ruby and Blake help to put the leftovers in containers while Taiyang and Yang worked on dishes for the evening. In less than thirty minutes, they had the entire dining room back in order and the dishwasher going. Taiyang retired to his bedroom before saying goodnight to Blake, citing his old age and a full stomach as good reasons to sleep early.

"What do you wanna do now?" Ruby asked.

"Let's pop a movie in and chill," Yang suggested, looking at Blake for her input.

"That sounds good to me."

"Ooh, Harry Potter is probably on!" Ruby rushed over to the living room, dragging both of them behind her.

Soon, the three settled on the sofa, Yang in between the other two. Ruby flipped through the channels like a book until she found Harry Potter, shutting up quickly to enjoy the movie. But in less than twenty minutes, the girl had passed out, laying her head on her sister's lap. Affectionately, Yang stroked her brunette hair, red on the tips, as she slept. Blake looked over and giggled a bit, finding the scene too sweet to be true. Yang felt her gaze and snickered.

"I've always wanted a sister," Blake confessed.

"Ruby is a really good one," Yang sighed. "Even if she is a half-sister."

"She's only your half-sister?"

"Yeah." Her lilac eyes returned to the screen. For a moment, Blake thought she'd drop the conversation right then. "My mom left when I was really young. I don't remember much about her, but my uncle Qrow doesn't really want me knowing too much. But Ruby's mom? Summer was amazing. She was like, super-mom. Ruby was too little to remember when she passed away, but man, I miss her everyday. That's why her last name is Rose. It's to honor her mother. At least we both have our dad. He's really good to both of us."

Blake frowned a little. "I see. I'm sorry about your mother."

She shrugged. "It's whatever. I mean, dad's here and I've got a cool uncle too. He couldn't be here tonight, though. He's off on a business trip, even on the holidays." Ruby stirred and Yang thought she'd wake, but she remained asleep. She poked her nose. "Ruby's pretty much everything I have."

"I understand." Luckily for Yang, she still had everything.

"I'm sorry for _you,_ Blake. Your situation is rough."

Again, tears formed in her eyes and she watched Harry as best as she could. "It's okay."

"Well." She grabbed her shoulder and made her look at her, lilac eyes gleaming. "You've got us. You're family to us now, especially with how good you've been to my little sister. She's pretty awkward, y'know? It's tough for her to get to know people because we're so… different.

"I know what people say about me and all the things they've got for me, but they really don't get what it's like, being so popular and stuff. Ruby's got it tough. She's always being compared to me, when in reality, she's just… Ruby. That's why… You're special to both of us. You can see who we are for who we are, not because of what people tell you."

Blake wanted to smile or frown, just something, but her lips remained parted, her golden-eyes wide and staring at the blonde as she pushed her locks out of her face. She thought about Weiss and what she had said two months ago, their initial run-in, the anger on Yang's face, the way she laughed at Homecoming.

"Blake, honestly, you're such a cool girl," Yang gave a lopsided grin. "I know our first uh… time meeting each other was pretty bad, but I mean, here you are now, part of my family!"

"It's really… really nice, to be part of a family again," she whispered.

"Yeah! Yeah…" Again, she was at a loss for words. "I think we should spend some more time together, y'know? You're always around Ruby and I hardly get you to myself," she smirked.

"I would love to spend time with you, Yang." She prayed the girl couldn't read her mind.

 _I would love to love you, Yang._

* * *

 **A/N: Ah, volleyball. I apologize if my jargon was all over the place. As much as I love to watch it, I'm total trash at playing. Thank you for joining me for the third chapter of Honeybee! Please leave a review to let me know what I should do better. Chapters four and five will cover the month of December. It's a bit too long for just one chapter lol. Thank you again, and see you soon!**


	4. Burning Up

**A/N: Hello everyone! This is part one of December and covers the first two weeks from Blake's POV. I know, it's July. But oh well! Without further ado...**

* * *

 **Chapter Four: Burning Up**

"What are they doing?" asked Blake.

Two boys carefully placed wreaths along the walls of the long, wide breezeway. "They're decorating for Christmas. They do this every year! Don't you know it's December?" Ruby questioned her, giggling at the end of her sentence.

Blake had forgotten. The time had blown by so quickly that, before she knew it, she had already spent a little more than two months at the prestigious academy. It really didn't feel that long. They walked from Goodwitch's Calculus class to their next subjects. The golden-eyed girl liked to escort her friend over to the English department, giving her a chance to stretch her legs and share a short conversation before she returned to the STEM department. But today, she was looking for someone in particular, and she knew she'd find her in Ruby's class.

"Blake?" Ruby piped up, noticing that she lingered even after she walked into the classroom with her. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Yes," she nodded, her eyes meeting sapphire just a moment later. Weiss tilted her head to the side, as if to ask why she was there. "I need to talk to Weiss."

"Hmm. You sure are talking to her more often…" Ruby voiced her thoughts. "Are you friends with her now?"

It was true. Recently, whenever Ruby would have something going on with the art club or pottery club at lunch, Blake would find herself with Weiss. She glanced down at the smaller girl and gave a small smile. "I think we're something like that. I have to ask her something."

"Oh, okay."

Making Blake's life easier, Weiss sauntered over, looking at the two. "Ruby is in this class with me, but what are you doing here, Blake?" Her words might've sounded venomous, but her tone indicated otherwise, seeming more curious than anything else.

"I actually need to talk to you about something."

An eyebrow shot up, a smirk finding its way on her face. "Can we discuss it at lunch?"

"I was going to ask if we could go to tea again. Er, coffee." She remembered her preferences.

"And of course, let me guess, you need me to drive again, don't you?" The Ice Queen rolled her eyes and tossed her bangs to the side, the scar over her left eye much more visible now. "I'll meet you at the flagpole after school."

When Blake mentioned her thanks, Ruby grabbed her sleeve and pulled her down so she could whisper in her ear. "What do you need to ask Weiss about? Do you have a crush on her?" she joked.

Blake nearly exploded, this time from wanting to laugh, not because she was horribly embarrassed. "No, Ruby. That's a good guess, but no. I just need to ask her a question about… someone."

"Oh," she sighed, giving up on the topic. "You should probably get to your class. Wouldn't want to be late and bump Yang into a trash can again!"

She glared, but playfully, before she replied, "Yes, you're right."

* * *

Weiss dunked a sugar cube into her black coffee and stirred in some cream to give it a thicker texture. Blake watched her delicate fingers return the teaspoon to the side and observed her small lips take a sip of her addiction. Her eyes shined like jewels as the last rays of the California sun reached inside the small coffee shop. Today, she wore a white dress, ending just above the knee and matching her hair. In many ways, Weiss emulated the word _beautiful_ … as much as she lived to the word _cold._

"So, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" she wondered, crossing her legs and leaning back into her chair.

Blake had thought this through a few days ago, but actually perking up the courage to say it was much, much harder than she expected. Initially, she completely rejected the idea, trying to shut it out each and every time. But with each passing day, the feeling grew stronger, more fervent, and it was folly to ignore it anymore than she already had. Hesitantly, she peered up from her own cup of tea to those precious stones and took in a deep breath. "Weiss, I think I like Yang."

Silence seeped in and she thought Weiss was going to laugh at her. "So _that's_ why you're not interested in Sun," she jested. "I didn't know you… bent that way, Blake."

"I didn't either," she said in defense. "I never have, and I didn't think I did until…"

"It's not an issue," Weiss quickly dismissed, half-worried she might've insulted her on accident. "You like Yang. Well, a lot of people like Yang…" She measured her words carefully. "What made you realize that you like her as more than a friend?"

Blake set her tea down after drinking a bit of it. "I've never felt so anxious around other people, but with her, I feel… I don't know. I feel at home and kind of scared at the same time. She's so beautiful, Weiss. I've never seen such a kind person. We hardly knew each other, and yet, she forgave me easily and danced with me, even inviting me to hang out here and then. Ruby and I have been friends since school started, so she sort of took me into her family. It's more than I deserve, and you know that. I think… I think I like her because she's such a positive person. She brings so much good energy and I admire her so much because of it. She loves life. I wish I could as much as she does, but you know that I don't, that I… can't."

Weiss' expression softened, her eyes somehow much more considerate than the typical, piercing look. "I think those are fair reasons to take a romantic interest in someone," she nodded, drinking her coffee. "When did you realize you liked her?"

"Maybe two weeks ago? After Thanksgiving… I went over to her house."

"Really now?" Weiss mused, giving her a small smile. "And how did that go?"

Blake allowed herself to grin. "Very well."

"I see. Well, you're right; Yang is a very, very uplifting person. That's why she's so popular. I thought I told you that a long time ago. What do you need me to do for you now?"

"That's just the thing," she sighed. "I don't know what to do with how I feel."

"What do you mean you don't know what to do with how you feel?" She was bemused. "Act on your feelings."

Blake gave her an incredulous look. "I've never been in a relationship before…"

"Neither have I," she confessed, much to Blake's surprise. "But at least I know to speak up about how I feel."

"So, you…"

"Yes," she grumbled. "I told Neptune that I liked him. But he's too cool for me and he has way more options than he knows what to do with. You know, even though he tells me all the time that he's such an intellectual, I seriously doubt he is smart enough to figure things out." She crossed her arms and frowned, clearly upset with the matter. "But that's besides the point, Blake. We're talking about you here."

"I don't think I can just go up to Yang and blurt out that I like her." Blake averted her eyes, knowing she'd receive a scathing look, if not a few harsh words, from the heiress across the table.

But instead, Weiss responded, "Then work up to the point when you can." Sapphire met gold. "Take her out on a few dates, build up your relationship with her first, and then tell her how you feel. Maybe she'll develop her feelings as much as you develop yours. Maybe not. But you won't know until you try, right?" She set down her cup, now empty, and dabbed her mouth with the small handkerchief she carried around with her at all times.

"So, you advise that I take her out?"

"Yes. That'll give you time to get to know her as well. You want to be sure that the person you like is someone likable, don't you? I can't like Sun—and I don't like Sun—because he's not my type. Maybe you think Yang is your type, but she really isn't. You'll have to find out for yourself."

Blake nodded, letting her words sink in. She finished her tea and smoothed out her hair, shyly looking at Weiss again. "Thank you for your advice. You're good at listening."

"It's a pleasure. After all, I am a Schnee," she added proudly

"For someone who has never dated anyone, you sure do seem to know more about this kind of stuff than I do."

Pink found its way onto the girl's face, giving her complexion some color. "I have my share of teenage endeavors as well." That didn't seem to be a subject she wanted to speak up about, so Blake gave it a break and turned the conversation elsewhere.

"You've been kind to me, Weiss. I thought you didn't like me, but you've been a friend."

At first, she didn't know whether to smile or to frown, so she did neither. Then her eyes narrowed, though not menacingly or out of malice. Rather, it was out of the hidden, light-hearted side of her that she rarely showed. She smirked. "You and I are not so very different from one another, Blake. We're both trying to find the weaknesses in one another. I discovered yours, and it just happens to be the most popular girl at school. You have yet to find mine." She rose, checking the silver watch on her right wrist. "I have fencing at 4:30, so we need to get going."

Weiss wasn't particularly wrong. She was just unreadable.

* * *

On Monday, as Blake flipped through the pages of her Calculus book at Ruby and Yang's house, the brunette awkwardly cleared her throat in an attempt to get her attention. Slowly, the older girl lifted her eyes off the equations to look at silver instead, her eyebrows raised.

"What is it, Ruby?"

"I'm having trouble with this one," she murmured, tapping her pencil on a particular problem.

Blake scanned over it quickly, working how to figure the problem out in her head. After a few seconds, it clicked. "Ah. This is a differential question, so you can just use the derivative rules to figure it out." She leaned over. "First, you'd have to factor this part out…"

She watched Ruby's brows furrow, first out of confusion, then concentration. Her pencil scratched against her notebook, quickly factoring and simplifying and deriving the problem. She was almost there as Blake coached her on, but then she stopped. "Wait. I think I did it wrong."

"No, you're doing it correctly. You have to multiply that part as well."

She beamed. "Oh!" Again, she picked up her pencil and crossed out numbers, writing new ones underneath them. Sometimes, it was hard for Blake to follow her thought process, but the girl always calculated the problems correctly. Weiss was right—about a lot of things, this included—when she said that Ruby was a real whizz. It wasn't often that she would ask Blake for help. "Got it."

Blake looked at her own notebook to confirm she had the right answer. "27?"

"27!"

Blake should have been spending her Monday afternoon with the school's book club, discussing the latest books they read and their thoughts, but instead, she opted to study with Ruby instead, as they had a test later in the week. She had only recently joined the book club, which met every Monday and Wednesday, out of Ruby's urging. Today, they were going to discuss Pride and Prejudice, which Blake had read over and over again until the spine gave away. Right now, related rates and optimization problems were more important.

Then, her whole body rocked with the house as Yang slammed the front door so hard, she thought the hinges would break.

"Oh no." Immediately, Ruby stood, knowing her sister was home and seriously pissed off. Hardly anyone got in Yang's way when she was furious, but Ruby always managed to find a way to calm her down in no time. Even if Yang had a horrible temper, she'd cool down much faster if the younger girl was around. Turning her head, Blake caught a glimpse of the blonde, passing by without showing her face. She watched Ruby follow her up the stairs. Then, she heard an angry hiss, no doubt Yang, and it was only a moment until the younger sister walked down the steps, her eyes glossy and filled with tears. Blake set her pen down and made her way over to her to give her a hug, hoping she wouldn't cry.

"Yang's so angry." She struggled to keep her composure. "I haven't seen her this angry in a really, really long time."

"Any idea why she would be so upset?" And suddenly, she remembered that Yang had been gone the whole weekend, playing at the state tournament in hopes to bring victory to Beacon.

Ruby shrugged and failed to blink back the salty beads, letting them fall onto Blake's shoulder. "She yelled at me…"

Gently, Blake walked her back over to the table and sat her down, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "It's okay." She pushed back Ruby's bangs and tucked them behind her ear. "Does she normally yell at you?"

"N-No…" she stuttered in between tiny gasps of air. "That was the first time in months."

Every fiber in her body begged her to stay grounded and allow for a few minutes to pass, but it would not do. "Maybe I can try to talk to her."

Ruby hiccuped and shook her head. "Blake, s-she's just going to-to hurt you, she's really pissed!"

"She's been pissed off with me before. I can handle it," she quipped, but even she was a bit worried that she was being too brash.

Her conscience screamed at her and verbally berated her for being so stupid, but Blake continued to climb each step of the staircase anyway, knowing that Yang was more important. Whatever had set her off must've been serious. Her temper was something well-known around the school. For Blake, she had a first-hand experience, remembering how her feet dangled several inches off of the floor those first few days of school. But this? This was bad. Even Ruby didn't dare to see her in this state. While she ascended to the second floor, she heard the banging of what must have been a chair against the door and was amazed to see it was, somehow, still intact. Yang had punched the door instead. It remained slightly ajar. She heard her seething hisses, no doubt released between gritted teeth.

Pushing the door open, she saw that the red bedsheets were tangled on the floor, having been gathered up then thrown. Yang faced away from her, hunched overHer backpack was dumped next to the bed, her volleyball duffle bag thrown to the side, its contents spilled all over. The very air of the room felt heavy and suffocating. Blake watched her shoulders rise then fall, rise then fall, hoping she was trying to calm herself down, though that was unlikely.

"Yang…"

"Ruby, get out!" she snarled, whipping her head backwards, only to be met by a blinking pair of gold.

Blake's jaw hung open, heart racing, and this time out of fear. But she couldn't move, she wouldn't move. She stayed still, lips parted and eyes wide.

Yang raged like fire, but she shut her mouth, lowered her hands, balled into fists, and brought her legs together. "Blake, please, I'm—"

"Stop," she ordered, throwing her arms around her. She feared that Yang would shove her off or attack her otherwise, but she didn't move, remaining stiff in her embrace. Thirty seconds later, she felt her go slack and realized they were slowly sinking down onto the floor, surrounded by clothes and linens. Then, she felt a pool of wetness on her shoulder, right where Ruby had cried. Yang's back shook with each sob, her voice cracking. Blake had never seen her in this state and she wished she didn't have to. Pulling away, she brought her face up so they could look at each other properly. The tears had extinguished the blaming flames and left lilacs instead.

"We lost because of me," she blamed herself, her expression crestfallen and ashamed. "The ball, I touched it, I had it, we could've won, we could've… could've…"

"Yang…"

Her head lowered, she noticed that her hands were shaking. "Damn it, we were so close… If I just listened to Pyrrha, if I just let Nora get the damn ball, damn it! Damn it!" She cursed the same phrase over and over again, her yell only growing in volume until it had all been let out. Blake had nothing to say, feeling that her presence was enough.

After ten minutes, the girl embarrassingly collected herself, tried to fix her trashed room, and went to the bathroom to wash off her face. Though she avoided Blake's gaze, the girl could see that her eyes were bloodshot, her hair a tangled, frizzy mess. They heard the sound of smaller, little feet hitting the floor. Ruby appeared before both of them as they sat on the top step, her frown seeming rather out of place for a usually joyful person.

"Yang…?"

The silence cut. Then, "… Ruby?"

Clearly, her sister hadn't expected her to say anything in reply. "A-Are you okay?"

"Are _you_ okay? I… snapped pretty—"

Ruby hugged her tight without letting her finish her sentence. Blake thought she would start crying again and rotated herself to hug Yang along with her. The three sat there, holding onto the sunshine child, the popular girl, _the_ Yang Xiao Long, and let her grieve.

* * *

The following day, Yang approached Blake at her locker, just outside the amphitheater.

"Blake? Can we talk for a minute?" She asked, as if the other girl could ever say no.

The raven-haired girl closed her locker and turned her whole body to face her. She looked much better now that she had applied light makeup and dressed herself in an appealing shirt and jean combination. Her hair, long as ever, fell to her hip, though it was brushed and not so tangled. Though, Blake wished she wouldn't wear such a somber expression.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, turning to face her and leaning against the lockers.

"About yesterday…" Yang started, tapping her foot. Biting her lip, she struggled to find the right words. "I'm really sorry."

"Yang, you were angry. I don't expect you to be—"

"What happened was completely unacceptable," she continued, her eyes darting from left to right to look at anything besides Blake. "You shouldn't have seen that, I should've been more… respectable. That was the second time that you saw me so furious and I don't want you to have to see that again, Blake."

"Yang, seriously, stop—"

She cut her off again. "But more importantly, I wanted to say thank you." Yang met her gaze. "Ruby is usually the person that can calm me down, but for some reason, you stepped in when I pushed her out and… I couldn't be mad at you, so I forced myself to sit down and quit acting like a brat. I might've hurt Ruby and you were there to make sure she was okay. I've gotta admit. I was pretty pissed. But you really calmed me down before I could do any more damage. I'm really grateful you could be there, for both of us."

Blake smiled, bringing her textbooks closer to her chest. "It's okay that you got upset. I could understand where you were coming from. Volleyball means a lot to you and it was reasonable that you were angry. Don't worry about me. Are things between you Ruby okay?"

Finally, she grinned. "Yeah, me and Rubes are always fine."

"Good." The bell rang, a signal for the two to head to class. "Well, I should probably be going to class now. I wouldn't want to be late."

"Me neither. Catch you later, Blake," Yang chuckled. She turned her back and took a step in the opposite.

Blake scolded herself again. She was missing her chance. She was watching her walk away, a perfect opportunity not taken just because she was scared, because she was too nervous to speak up. She tried to walk, walk towards Oobleck's class, towards any class really, but she wouldn't let herself. She wasn't going to run away this time. "Yang!"

"Yeah? What's up?"

Blake caught up with her, jogging over to her. "Um…" _No, you_ will _speak, you_ will _say it!_ "About yesterday… I know that you're still upset over what happened at state, but I was wondering if…" _Damn it, Blake!_ "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to hang out sometime."

"Oh, duh! I thought you'd never ask. I've been wanting to," she laughed, hands on her hips. "What would you want to do?"

Blake _seriously_ didn't think that far, probably because she was assuming Yang would decline her offer. _Think, you dolt,_ she heard Weiss in her head. _It's December. What do you do in December?_ "We could do anything!" _Think!_ "Since Christmas is at the end of the month… how about… dinner and some shopping? Maybe we can get some presents."

Yang pursed her lips before giving Blake a full smile, nodding her head enthusiastically. "Sounds solid! How about we check out the mall tomorrow at five? We'll beat the dinner rush. I'll pick you up."

"Y-yeah!" she stammered. "I haven't gone to the mall yet."

"Really? Girl, you've gotta get your shopping on. Oh, we're going to be late to class! I'll talk to you later alright?"

The small voice in her head, sounding very similar to the snow angel, congratulated her.

* * *

The whole morning, Blake couldn't stop thinking about five o'clock in the afternoon. To keep herself busy, she did her whole weekend homework early in the morning to get it over with so that she could enjoy tonight and Sunday. After that was finished, at one o'clock, she took a shower, laid on her couch in her bathrobe and towel, and turned on the TV to kill more time. The day seemed to pass by as slowly as it possibly could, even though each second was identical to the other. Thirty minutes before Yang was supposed to show up, she decided on an outfit: a forest green baseball tee, bearing Beacon's sigil, dark jeans, and her signature black bow. Right on the dot, she heard Bumblebee bellow outside and opened the front door.

Yang dressed herself in skinny jeans and a black crop-top shirt. As she pulled off her helmet, her blonde locks spilled onto her back, tossed side to side as she shook her head. With a smile, Blake locked the door and walked over to her.

"Ready to go, kitten?" the girl asked, a smirk on her face.

"Yes, Yang," Blake answered, hopping on and wrapping her arms around her torso. Whereas last time she felt awkward holding her so close, this time felt so much more natural. She hoped each time would feel just as normal.

After they parked Yang's motorcycle, the two made their way to dinner first, feeling that they'd have more energy to walk around if they ate first. Blake insisted that Yang choose where to eat, as she knew the area much better. Dinner for the evening would be held at a small but busy Italian restaurant called _Mi Amore,_ one of her favorite places to eat. Etta James crooned quietly in the background as the waiters brought the two girls to their seats. Blake was impressed with the grandeur of it all, despite the room being small and crowded. The lights, shining rather dimly, created a darker, muted atmosphere. She glanced at Yang, admiring her as she continued to scan over the expansive menu. Catching her off guard, lilac eyes flickered from the paper to Blake's.

"You wear glasses?" the girl questioned, laying the menu flat on the table.

Blake had forgotten that she put them on. "Oh, yeah. I only wear them when I'm reading. I can see just fine without them."

"Really? They look really good on you," Yang complimented her, bringing a light blush that she hoped wouldn't show.

"Hey Yang, and Blake!" boomed a voice above them. When they both turned to look, they realized Sun crookedly smiling down at them, notepad and pen in hand.

The girls looked at each other before Yang addressed him. "Since when did you work here, monkey boy?" she poked lightheartedly.

"Since last week, actually," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. Gray met gold and he gave a much more polite smile to Blake. "Hey."

"Hi," she giggled, amused at the sudden change of expression. "I think this is my first time seeing you in something…"

"Oh, yeah," he pulled at his tie. "Stupid neck traps. I hate this uniform," he whispered so his other coworkers wouldn't hear him. "But it's whatever. Anyway. What can I get for you?"

Blake opened her mouth, but Yang spoke instead. "I just want lemonade. No ice. Blake, what do you want?"

"Um… Ginger beer, please."

Sun scratched their orders down hastily. "And for your entrees?"

"I'll have the full order of the shrimp alfredo, please!" Yang said rather gleefully.

Sun turned to the other, expectant. "Can I have a half-order of the chicken pagmiara?" Blake did her best to smile.

"Sure." He finished scribbling a few last letters and cleared their table of the menus. "Alright ladies, I'll have your drinks out in a second." He watched Blake put away her glasses and mumbled, "Hey, those are kind of cute."

Blake picked up on it and blushed for the second time in four minutes. "Thanks, Sun."

When he left, Yang tapped the top of Blake's foot, catching her attention instantly. "I think Sun's got a little crush on you, Blake!"

"W-what makes you think that?"

She wiggled an eyebrow. "Didn't you hear the way he complimented your glasses?"

"Yang, _you_ just complimented my glasses."

She shut up when the boy came back, bringing two lemonades with him. "No ice," he drew out as he set down Yang's glass. "And ginger beer." His brows furrowed and he scratched his head. "That's not alcohol, by the way."

"I know," Blake smiled, taking a long drink out of the bottle.

"Oh. Uh. Anyway. Okay." Sun showed his teeth in an awkward smile and left the two alone.

Yang played with the straw in her drink, her face mischievous. "Yeah, he's totally got the hots for you."

"Sure," she rolled her eyes dramatically.

Yang laughed before asking, "Come to think of it, what kind of guys _are_ you into, Blake?"

The question disarmed her and Blake nearly spat out her drank. It's not like she could just confess her love for the person she liked, who happened to be sitting right in front of her. She froze, putting her hands in between her thighs to get them to stop shaking so badly. Nervously, she replied, "To be honest, I'm not very interested in boys right now."

"Really? I feel like someone like you could easily get someone, y'know? Like, Sun digs you, for sure." She sipped at her lemonade, letting out a sigh of relief at the refreshing taste.

"Sun is just a friend. We haven't really interacted since Homecoming and I only see him in Port's class." Blake took a deep breath before saying, "Yang, you're the person who can get anyone they want."

Yang stared at her intently. "What makes you think so?"

"Well," she started, having a hard time keeping eye contact. "You're the school's most popular person. You're a great athlete, you're like third or fourth in our class, you're beautiful, you're cool! I just don't understand how anyone would want to break your heart."

The smile Yang once wore was now completely gone, a frown resting on her face instead.

 _Oh. Damn it._

"Who told you?" she asked, her eyes tearing their gaze and her voice hushed.

"Yang…"

"Blake, who told you about my last relationship?" she reiterated.

Guiltily, she sighed. "Weiss."

"Wow, ice queen sure seems to be connected to secrets and figuring things out," she gave out a _ha_ without any sort of mirth attached to it. Those two were friends and she hoped this wouldn't damage their friendship.

Blake frowned. "It was months ago after we ran into one another that first time, Yang. She asked me about it and let out that you had a bad breakup last summer, but I don't know anything else besides that." Her heart raced until she thought it would burst as she vomited up the truth. Anxiously, she waited for Yang to look back at her.

When she did, she was expecting red eyes and a lost temper. But her eyes remained pools of violet, hurt and hollow. Yang looked so forlorn.

Blake was eternally grateful when Sun came back with their two entrees. The star couldn't be so unhappy for so long with perfectly good food in front of her. He left them to dine and they did so, in silence.

* * *

After they finished dinner, the two walked to the main portion of the mall, featuring some of the world's most popular clothing stores and outlets. Yang's mood greatly improved, acting as though the awkward conversation at dinner hadn't happened. Instead, she let Blake talk about her favorite shops, clothing styles, and more. She didn't appear the type of person to be into fashion to Blake and listened more than she spoke. They stopped at several stores and Blake actually bought more than she expected to, blowing more than a hundred dollars after two hours of walking around. Yang stayed off to the side, giving compliments and critique when they were needed.

The two, a bit tired, stepped out of Calvin Klein laughing.

"Oh man, is it already nine?" Yang asked, checking her phone.

Blake sighed, her wan smile still on her face. "We sure have done a lot of shopping."

"You have, I haven't spent a dime!"

In total, Blake knew she probably spent more than three hundred dollars today—including paying for the whole dinner a few hours earlier—but she didn't really care. Circumstances in her life gave way to a little more spending every now and then. "We should probably get going then, huh?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't want to keep you out for too long," she winked.

The drive home proved to be a bit awkward, as Blake had to hold onto Yang with one arm and her new items in the other. Still, she enjoyed the ride and being able to breathe in the other girl's tangy, citrus scent. That was her favorite part of their rides, as few and far between as they were. In a few minutes, they found themselves back at the steps leading to Blake's house. But instead of darting away, Yang turned off Bumblebee and hung her helmet on one of the handlebars, her blonde hair spilling out chaotically, yet gracefully all the same. She turned to Blake, who had just gotten off.

"Do you want to come in, Yang?" the golden-eyed girl offered, expecting her to say no.

But, to her surprise, Yang nodded. "Yeah. I'd kill for some water or something."

So, the girl followed her in, leaving her shoes at the front door out of habit. Blake unlocked the door and pushed it open, turning on the light as she entered the house. As she made for the kitchen, she let Yang explore the living room. "Make yourself at home," she called out as she filled a tall glass with ice cold water out of the fridge. The blonde did so, taking a seat on the comfortable sofa and observing the furniture around her. Not much had changed in the house since Blake had first stayed here with her parents many years ago, but she took care of each and every part of the home. Soon enough, she joined her friend on the couch, handing her the glass.

After she drank half of it, she set it down on the coffee table and turned to Blake. "Thanks, kitten."

"You're welcome," she nodded, letting out a small yawn. "I had a great day today."

"Me too. Dinner was so good! Did you like it?"

"Yes, I did." She tried not to think about the awkward portion of it, but she did anyway.

It must've shown on her face, for Yang put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not mad that you know. I just wanted to know how you found out. People gossip all the time and I just needed to know you weren't getting that from some sketch source or anything." Her voice was low, maybe even a little husky.

"I'm glad. I didn't want to damage your friendship with Weiss."

"Nah, you couldn't hurt that one. We've been friends for a long time," she smiled fondly, thinking of the heiress. Then her lips drooped into a frown and her violet eyes lost that sparkle. "It's already December huh? I guess it's been a while since we broke up."

Blake summoned all the courage she had to ask, "What happened?"

Before she answered, Yang drained her glass in one swig and let out a long, deep sigh. "I met this boy at the beginning of my junior year. His name was…" She paused here to give another empty laugh. "Wow, I can't even say his name. Anyway. He moved here and he was new, so I decided I'd hang around him and get to know him. And you know how these things are. I liked him, he liked me, and soon enough we started going out.

"Everything was going fine. We were the typical high school romance, and I guess everyone liked us so much that they were always rooting for us, always hoping we'd be together wherever we went. Well, when summer came around, I realized that we had stopped talking as much… and realized that we just stopped talking entirely. He was moving away again and I found out then that I was just his trophy girl. Some people say that he was dating someone else at the same time and that I just didn't know about it. To be honest, I really wouldn't be so surprised. I was blind and I was stupid.

"I don't like to talk about it so much just because it's such a hurtful thing, y'know? I mean, how could people just do that? But they do. So, even if I _could_ get anyone, I haven't. I don't know. That question freaks me out. I hate having to hear that I could get anyone I want, because that doesn't always guarantee I'll get someone great. Or that I am someone great. I don't know."

Blake listened earnestly the whole time, her gaze never leaving those lilac orbs. When Yang finished explaining her story, she let a few seconds pass before she could begin her own spiel.

"Yang, honestly, I'm sorry. Really. But I feel that…" She took in a deep breath. "Just because he didn't cherish you doesn't mean you're not precious." That caught her attention and brought her to meet her stare. "He was an idiot to hurt you like that. I know we haven't known each other very long, but I know that you're an incredible person, Yang. Just take me for an example… I mean, here I am, new to Beacon, and instead of pushing me away or ignoring me, you've given me a family. I love spending so much time with Ruby and you whenever we can. That's much more than friendship. That's… more.

"That's why I can't imagine why someone would ever just use you like that. You're not just a trophy girl, Yang. You're so much cooler than that! You're such a lovely person."

Yang felt small, tiny pins prick at the corner of her eyes and she was worried she'd start crying. Quickly, she pulled Blake in, and the poor girl almost felt like she was being crushed by her force. Everything was warm—her shoulder, her arms, her neck, Yang's breath tickling her collar. But it was home, somehow, every single sensation. And she wished it wouldn't end. She wished Yang wouldn't pull away and leave her alone for the evening, but she knew she had to.

The moment ended too soon and soon, Yang was walking towards the door. They exchanged a goodnight and Yang asked Blake to keep everything a secret. When she was gone, Blake closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a heavy sigh, knowing Yang would see right through her one day or another.

She imagined herself telling Weiss all about this and confirming that Yang was _definitely_ her type.

* * *

 **A/N:** **And that's the end of part one. Part two will be coming in about two and a half weeks. I will be traveling internationally and will not be able to write, so hold on for a little while! I apologize for the inconvenience. Part two will be written in Yang's POV! Finally, a shift in POV!**

 **Thank you for reading my work. Please leave a review so I can see how I'm doing.**

 ** _-Lex_**


	5. Move

**A/N: Hi guys! I'm back from my travels! Thank you for being so patient with this story. I must admit, I'm a bit worried that this isn't up to where I want it to be, but I hope that this will be a great update after being gone for more than two weeks. Christmas in August? No big deal. Be sure to read my note at the end as well!**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Move**

Every part of Yang's body felt heavy. Her eyelids seemed to be pulled down by five-ton weights and her head, nodding every so often, sank deeper into her folded arms on top of the desk. As she slipped further into the numbing state of her daytime slumber, her breaths escaped slower and fuller. The last she heard of the teacher's rambling was something about the aorta leading into the heart. In her own case, her own beating heart steadied and took longer to pump blood, settling into a pattern fit for sleep. Normally, she'd pay attention in class, even if she chatted here and there to someone random. But today, for some reason, Yang Xiao Long was falling, cascading to nowhere in particular, and certainly away from Mr. Oobleck's class.

Then she crashed, hard. An icy tone cut through the haziness of her afternoon nap. "Yang!"

Jolting awake, the blonde opened her eyes, only to be met with precious sapphires staring back at her. "Wha…?"

"Didn't you just hear the bell? School's over!" Weiss reprimanded her. "I've been trying to wake you up since you fell asleep half an hour ago—in the middle of a lecture, mind you!"

She was surprised she slept through the bell and not through Weiss' high, grating voice. Most times, they were the same thing anyway. "Sorry Ice Queen," she mumbled, her throat dry and voice raspy. When the other girl shot her a look of confusion, she shrugged and said, "I don't know what's up with me either." In reality, she knew exactly what was going on.

She was thinking too much again, straining her own mind more than it should have been. So she got tired.

Sinking into her own chair next to Yang, Weiss propped her head up with her hand and sighed. And just like that, all her irritation melted away. The remnants of any frustration faded away as her eyes narrowed. "Are you okay?" she asked, her tone thick with worry.

"I think so," Yang answered, stretching her arms in front of her. She yawned and shook her head to wake up a bit. "I'm just feeling pretty tired is all." _That's a good excuse_ , she thought to herself. It was somewhat true.

"It's a good thing that winter break starts today, then," her friend reminded her. Somehow, she almost forgot.

"Oh yeah!" At the thought of the two-week break, Yang instantly lit up, a smile breaking on her face. "I can finally catch a break!"

"And I can finally catch up on sleep," the heiress sighed, rising. "Come on, you have to take Ruby home and she's probably waiting for you outside."

"Yeah, yeah." She put away her notebook and pen, gathered her backpack, and followed Weiss out the door. They were the last two out of the room, as Mr. Oobleck himself had scrambled away to get more coffee as soon as school ended. Some part of Yang was going to miss him during their recess, even if she dreaded the intense (and often unnecessary) amount of homework he assigned. "What're you going to do on your break?"

She thought she saw a vein burst on the side of Weiss' temple. "Study of course," she replied woefully. "Do I do anything else, Yang?"

Yang rolled her eyes and swung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in to her side. "Ah come on. You can take a break for a while, can't you?"

"No," she answered. Usually, she'd wiggle her way out of Yang's embrace. She really didn't like physical touch, even from her friends, _especially_ in public. Yet, she stayed close. Their feet fell in step as they made their way to the courtyard. "You know that I can't."

"I know that you _can,_ and I know that you won't, because you're stubborn as Hell, Weiss," she chuckled. She put her hand atop the snow angel's head of white and pushed back some stray strands. When the girl wasn't wearing her heels, like today, Yang easily towered over her. She didn't turn away or swat away her hand, so Yang continued, saying, "You should really sleep, though. You probably need it more than I do. I just like to sleep."

Weiss let out a rather distressed humph. With her bottom lip sticking out just a bit more than usual and her whiny reply of, "Whatever," it almost looked like she was pouting.

 _Come to think of it, I haven't really been spending time with Weiss lately._ It wasn't that she didn't like her company. The two had been friends since Weiss moved from the East Coast herself before starting high school at Beacon. At first glance, they didn't really seem to be compatible at all; how could they be, when one embodied ice and the other fire? But perhaps that's what had brought them together. Weiss had done more for Yang than she could ever repay her for. The taller of the two smiled affectionately and asked, _"_ What are you going to be doing for Christmas?"

"My father wants to go back to Boston for the vacation, of course," Weiss grumbled. Talking about her family wasn't something she was particularly fond of. "So I'll be freezing my limbs off. I'll be sure to drop off my present for you sometime before."

"Aww, you don't need to do that," Yang feigned saccharine delight, trying to steer the conversation away from her family. God knew how much she really wanted to spend time with her father without her sister, Winter, nearby.

"I will anyway. What are you going to do? I'm sure you and Ruby have plans for the holidays."

"I dunno, actually," she replied, leaning against the flag pole and withdrawing her hand. The stampede of excited students fled the school grounds, already on their way home to celebrate on their time off, leaving the two seniors by themselves in the central part of the school. "There's really not much going on for my break."

"Really?" Weiss seemed genuinely surprised. "No parties, no boys to meet, no hearts to break?"

Yang laughed. "Is that a serious question?"

"All three parts."

She shook her head. "None of that. I guess I'll relax some too. I'm inviting Blake over for Christmas. Ruby asked me to but I was already planning on it anyway."

Weiss smiled then, thinking of their mutual friend. "That's nice of you. I'm sure she'll really like it. She enjoys being around you a lot, I'll have you know."

"Yeah, I do too!" _I've thought about this, you know._ "I've got the best gift for her, you'll never believe it."

"Is that so?" When she didn't reply immediately, Yang knew she was thinking about something. She paused to collect her thoughts. "Yang, I need to talk to you about something."

She arched an eyebrow. "Yeah? Love issues with Neptune?"

Weiss looked so offended, Yang thought she might tear her throat out. "No," she hissed. "It's about—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Ruby's voice filled the whole area, the echoes bouncing off the walls and in between the breezeway, drowning out Weiss completely. "Yang! Let's go home!" she beamed, reaching the two girls.

Upon seeing the sophomore, Weiss scowled and barked, "Was yelling that loud really necessary?"

"You're unnecessary," Ruby retorted, sticking her tongue out at her.

Yang quickly pulled her sister into a tight hug to protect her from the harsh words Weiss would unleash if she continued. "Ah, quit it Ruby, Weiss already has lots to deal with!" she laughed.

"Well…"

"I've had enough," Weiss tossed her head to the side, her trademark frown returning. "I suppose I'll see you all later, then."

"Alright," the blonde grinned, hoping to appease her somewhat. "Safe flight over to Boston!"

Ruby popped her head out of the suffocating embrace. "Good ridd—" Yang's hand flew and she let out a cry of pain. "Safe trip!"

Weiss rolled her eyes once again before walking away, a trace of a smile lingering on her lips.

Yang put Ruby down and gave her a crooked grin. "You sure do give her a hard time, huh?"

"She gives everyone else a hard time," Ruby defended herself and crossed her arms.

"Right." They started towards the parking lot. "You know, if you really want to be friends with Weiss that bad, you should just ask to be friends with her."

Her little sister looked so incredulous, Yang bursted out laughing. "Yang, I'm not trying to be friends with her!"

"Right."

She wondered what Weiss needed to talk to her about and made a mental note to ask her when she got back.

* * *

On some weekend mornings, Yang liked to wake up early to cook breakfast and have the house to herself while her father and sister slept. Those hours offered a time of peace, quiet, and relaxation that she hardly found between her busy school schedule, her friends, and her activities. Today, she woke up at exactly seven in the morning on her break, an incredible feat, considering how tired she had been recently.

Groggily, she stumbled out of bed, hair tangled and dried saliva on her chin. Even though it was early, she had somewhere to be, something she needed to see. Quickly, she brushed her teeth and put her hair up into a high ponytail. She changed out of her casual shorts and tank top into skinny jeans and a white blouse, paired with a tan jacket to keep her warm. Although Oxnard never saw snow, it got a bit chilly in the winter months. That, however, was never an issue with Yang, who always felt like she was a literal human heater.

As she padded down the hallway, she was surprised to see Ruby already awake. Lilac met silver and for a moment, neither said anything to the other, until Yang noticed she was also fully dressed for her day.

"Going out today?" she questioned, grabbing the family car keys off the hook near the door.

"You're going out to get Blake's present, right?"

She laughed then. "Did you want to come along?"

Ruby smiled eagerly. "Yeah. I knew you'd leave early so I wouldn't get to go with you. But alas, Yang Xiao Long!" She pointed her finger and announced, rather triumphantly, "I've figured you out!"

"Sure," her sister snickered. "You can come with me."

As they made their way outside, Ruby realized that Yang had opened the car door rather than starting up Bumblebee. She gave her a quizzical look. "You're driving the car?"

"I have to."

If Ruby were right, then she'd know _exactly_ why Yang needed the extra space, but she had yet to prove that she had figured it out. It took weeks for her sister to solidify her plan, making sure every piece of the puzzle fit just right. There were multiple components to pulling this off—and by no means was it a particularly easy present. Being busy with school and sports left little time to work, so she'd have to use some past money that she'd saved up. She had never done something so special for anyone outside her family, except for _him,_ of course, but she didn't like to think about that.

This was way out of her normal self, even with how giving and generous she could be. But Blake was more than just a normal friend. To Yang, she was more than a sister like Ruby, more than a friend like Weiss, something more than just… _I don't know._ She was fully aware of what she was doing and how this, unlike anything she had done before, was way out of her way. And yet…

She shook her head, parking in the space right next to the front door. Yang turned to look at Ruby, whose innocent eyes had widened considerably at the sight. Neither of them could remember the last time they had visited this place, as they had both been fairly young. Any memory they had would be vague and fuzzy.

"Are you being serious, Yang?" Ruby asked rather curiously, since she couldn't wrap her head around it.

"Dead serious, Rubes." They exited the car.

"And this is for Blake?"

Yang opened the door and let her sister in first. "The one and only!"

The Ventura County Animal Shelter, situated in Camarillo, was only a fifteen minute drive from their house. Upon entering the building, Yang caught the attention of the employee behind the counter and received a warm, welcoming smile.

"Miss Xiao Long, it's nice to see you," the old man greeted her, typing in a few things into the computer.

"Do you know him?" Ruby looked up to her sister then back to the man as they reached the counter.

"He remembers us from when we adopted Zwei!" She pulled out a pen from her purse to fill out the paperwork he had slid in front of her. "And I've been here a few times before."

"Oh… So this is where you've been running off to." Ruby noted that she should tag along with her sister every time she made random, often unannounced disappearances from their home for a few hours.

When she finished filling out the required sheets, Yang brought her eyes to meet the man's and gave a smile. "I think today's the day."

"Great! Well, come on back. You didn't bring a crate, did you?"

The two sisters joined the man as they ventured off to the back part of the building, where the animals were kept. Dogs sat, huddled together as they rested peacefully in the early morning. Some cats approached the edge of small havens, peering up and intrigued by these new humans. "I didn't think I'd need to, to be honest…" _Good one!_

"It's not a problem," he chuckled. "We've got lots of extra crates, so you can just choose one. Actually, using the one we first transported her in might be a good idea, so then she's used to it."

Suddenly, Yang heard her sister stop walking. When she looked back at her, she realized that Ruby had finally understood what was going on. With an excited squeal, she caught up and grabbed Yang's arm, nearly pulling it out of socket with how charged up she felt. "Yang! You're crazy! You're insane!"

Yeah, she was crazy and insane. But what else would Yang be?

The clerk grinned at them both as he opened the door to a particular cage. After making a few clicking noises with his tongue, small, young kittens made their way over to his hand, heads tilted and eyes wide with wonder. They came in orange, gray, brown, striped, plain, and more. Yang wanted to hold and squeeze all of them! It was almost too much to bear for her to be around them.

But there was one that mattered the most to her, one that she had selected a week ago that she wanted. After a few seconds, the man held out the only black kitten in the whole litter. With a coat darker than night and brilliant, amber eyes shining back at Ruby and Yang, this cat was the lucky one. One would expect a small cat like this one to be timid or wary. Instead, it meowed loudly, as if trying to speak, and lifted a paw in joy.

The man took his time to explain everything necessary to adopting a cat, like taking it to the vet often, grooming techniques, how and when to feed it, and other interesting topics; but Yang wasn't listening the entire time as she stared at those eyes that made her heart melt. _How precious!_ "Are you going to keep her original name?"

Yang sighed, not out of exasperation or distress or anything like that. She sighed happily, out of relief. "Of course!"

* * *

For some reason, Yang felt unusually nervous about Christmas Eve. The Rose-Xiao Long family was unconventional in all senses of the words, evident in how they celebrated the holidays. It was a family tradition, for example, to open presents at midnight rather than Christmas morning. The following day, the family would find board games or any other type of outing that meant being up and active all day to enjoy their time with one another.

Blake would be coming over tonight and, as agreed, she'd be spending the night, as she didn't have anything to do for Christmas day. And while she shouldn't be worried about her present, she was; and Yang Xiao Long never worried about anything.

Something about Blake felt so unsettling, not because she was a bad person or because Yang disliked her. In fact, it was just the opposite. Yang hadn't come across someone so fascinating, not even _him._ There were certain friends that lived up to their reputations, like Pyrrha and Weiss, the star athlete and the class valedictorian. Or Neptune, the handsome lady-killer, or even her own little sister Ruby, the sophomore brainiac.

Yang knew exactly what she was to everyone else. To some, she was the blonde bimbo, who, much to their surprise, was actually much smarter than they gave her credit for. To others, she was their school's firecracker, always bursting in happiness everywhere. But Blake? What the Hell was _she?_

Everyone at school referred to the golden-eyed beauty as either the new girl or the book nerd, as she read constantly on her free time. This, Yang knew to be true, as she had often bothered her when she had her nose in a book. But there was so much more about Blake that she still didn't know. Her parents were dead, but why? She had to move to Beacon, but why? She made friends with Weiss, Ruby, and Yang herself, but why, when she could've picked different people, different friends? And she had mentioned being incorporated into her family _as much more than friendship. That's… more… But why?_

Needless to say, Yang was a bit confused. It seemed the more she knew, the more questions she had to ask.

While she didn't always come off to be rather thoughtful or perceptive—often times quite the opposite, actually—she prided herself on being a great friend, which meant being able to read people like books. But she couldn't read Blake. She was kind, alluring, and mysterious, but she didn't know what else. She liked Blake a lot. Yet… something was missing, something critical to understanding her.

The ring of the doorbell alarmed her and nearly sent her spirit out of her body. _Ah, speak of the devil and she'll appear huh?_ She was starting to worry that she wouldn't show at all, although she knew that she would. She rose and opened the door. Blake's small smile grew wider as their eyes met, lilac meeting gold once again, familiar and foreign all at once. Quickly, she pulled her into a tight hug.

"Blake!" she laughed. "You're looking pretty great!"

"Do I really?" she asked, somewhat sarcastic, somewhat serious.

As per request, the girl donned a Christmas outfit of her choosing in order to "better celebrate the festivities," as Yang had mentioned when she first invited her. Fittingly, she decided to be one of Santa's elves. Wearing a short, low-cut, forest green dress, she revealed more skin than Yang had seen before. At school, she'd wear skirts, jeans, nice blouses, cute jackets.

But now, like this, Blake exposed slender legs and porcelain skin. These were things Yang had never really noticed before. With a matching green Santa hat on her head and a large, green bow, the blonde couldn't help but blush, realizing just how _sexy_ her friend was. _I mean, it's Nora's outfit, but…_

Well, that was something she figured out about her.

After realizing she was staring, Yang forced a a smile to mask the fact that she had been staring. "Yeah! Really, you're rocking the outfit. Nora would be proud."

Blake ran her hand through her silky onyx hair. " You think so? It's really… short."

"Nah." For herself, Yang dressed as a reindeer, wearing a long-sleeved brown shirt with a yellow heart and a matching mini-skirt. She opted to wear a brown hat as well, but she figured antlers and a red nose would finish the look. "Do you see what I'm wearing?"

Blake looked away, her cheeks turning a little red. "It's not so bad."

"Hey Blake!" Ruby called out from the hallway. Yang turned around and saw the red blur running towards the two. Wearing a Santa suit, her little sister seemed to embody the spirit of the holidays the most. She hugged their guest tightly, saying, "Wow, you pull that off really well! Come in, I just finished baking some cookies!"

Ah, Christmas. This was Yang's favorite holiday because it meant family, it meant love. As the sweet aroma of chocolate chip cookies wafted throughout the household, she led Blake to the living room, where the Christmas tree stood tall. Several gifts sat underneath, ready to be opened and adored. Yang always put on Michael Buble's Christmas CD, perfect for the occasion and mood. Lights decorated the whole house, strung along the walls of the living room and outside the house. All they seemed to miss each year was snow. In a few minutes, Ruby came around the corner, carrying a plate full of her favorite treats and a few glasses of milk to share.

"Where's dad?" Yang asked. She hadn't seen him all day.

"He's out with Uncle Qrow right now. They're supposed to be back by midnight to open up presents!" Ruby answered, munching into a cookie. "Wantch shome?" She held one out to Blake.

"Of course," she smiled, taking a small bite. Impressed, she nodded her head and complimented her, saying, "This is really great, Ruby. Thank you."

Yang noticed a crumb on the side of her lip and brushed it away. "Heh. You had cookie on your face."

Blake chuckled quietly. "Thank you. What time is it?"

"It is precisely… eleven thirty-eight! Which means we'll be opening presents in thirty two minutes!"

"Twenty two," Yang corrected. She applauded herself for her quick mental math. That took effort.

To kill the next twenty minutes, Ruby proposed they'd play a quick game with cookies, trying to see who could eat the most cookies in the meantime. Blake opted out of the competition and watched the two sisters instead. To Yang, honestly, it had seemed like a ridiculous idea and she really didn't want to be sick before opening presents. But she never liked losing, especially when it was against Ruby, so in record time, she burned through thirteen cookies and two glasses of milk. Ruby hadn't even gotten to eight and barely finished her first glass.

 _Okay, never again._ "Oh god," Yang groaned, holding her stomach. "I'm gonna barf."

"Ew, gross, don't barf!" Ruby warned her, sitting up. "We've still gotta open presents!"

"Aren't we supposed to wait for your dad?" Blake asked, amused with the whole situation.

The two sisters looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Then, after a while, Yang came to a decision. "They can open them when they come home. You're here, so we're going to do it on time."

Ruby and Blake seemed alright with the decision. Pulling out the first gift from under the tree, Yang inspected the tag and smiled. "This is from Weiss." The ice queen had given her something heavy, intricately wrapped in baby blue with a white bow. She untied the ribbon and opened up the blue box, pulling out several pairs of shorts, tank tops, and sweatbands. Grinning like crazy, she scanned over Weiss' small card, reading her meticulous cursive.

 _You were begging for these a while ago and I just happened to find them on sale. Try not to break hearts with them. -WS_

"Workout clothes?" Ruby giggled. "I guess that's cool."

"I wanted these forever!" Yang exclaimed, checking out the neon colors and the stretchy material. "These are pretty expensive."

Blake took her turn to open up her gift from the heiress as well. She had given her a set of classic books, including first edition copies of _Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre,_ and _Wuthering Heights._ Yang made a mental note that she really seemed to like romance novels, even the older ones. Ruby gave her a nice set of notebooks and pens, something Blake was eternally grateful for. She loved writing almost as much as she did reading.

"What does her card say?"

"'I am glad that you too are fond of books and wish you great happiness as you embark on these journeys. Perhaps we can read together.'"

"That's sweet," Yang smiled.

"That's surprising," Ruby muttered.

Clutching the texts closely, Blake noticed there was another present from Weiss. "Hey, Ruby, I think that's for you."

"What?" she asked, dumbfounded. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was true. "Weiss… Actually got me something?" In disbelief, she picked up the little red box, took off the wrapping, and opened the package. She dangled a small silver rose in front of her, her matching silver eyes showing amazement and awe. Yang poked her to remind her to read the card. "Yang told me you wanted a necklace. I hope you like roses. After all, they are your… namesake. Weiss." Her sister looked up at her. "You told Weiss I wanted a necklace?"

Yang pulled her into a hug. "Of course I did! She was the one who was wondering what you wanted anyway. I told you she doesn't hate you. You just don't get along."

They continued opening presents in that manner. From her father, Yang received new jewelry and clothes. Uncle Qrow had given her a shot glass set… Not that she'd use it tonight or any time soon. His card requested she waited until he'd be over until they'd use it, much to Ruby, Blake, and, she suspected, her father's horror. Setting that aside, she opened her present from Ruby and was pleasantly surprised to see that she had bought the three video games she had asked for specifically. _Well, there goes some time on my break._

Blake pushed forward a medium-sized box towards her, a shy smile on her face. "I hope that you like it. It took a while to think of."

"Aww, Blake." Yang took it, carefully unwrapping the paper to reveal a portion of a canvas. Opening the present fully, she felt her heart swell in her chest, taken aback by the sheer skill it took to paint the damn thing. Blake's present was a painting of Yang going up to spike a volleyball. She couldn't imagine how much time it took to produce something of such high caliber. Her tongue felt like a steel weight. She struggled to find the right words and could only utter, "Blake…"

"Ruby helped me to think of it, actually," the girl admitted. "It took a while. But one of the photographers took a really, really nice picture. So I thought I could paint you at your favorite sport." Her smile was wan, but genuine all the same.

Yang didn't know what to do, so she hugged her. That always seemed to be her go-to move when she couldn't speak. "Thank you. Thank you!"

Ruby, witnessing the whole thing, gave a gasp, catching Yang's attention. She looked over at her and saw that her eyes were filled with tears. "Gah, the presents just keep getting better! You have to give Blake her present! I think it's time!"

 _Right!_

After thanking her profusely again, Yang rose and ran over to her room. Ruby sat, excited to see what Blake's reaction would be. Walking slowly back into the living room, Yang met Blake's eyes and grinned mischievously. She held the gift behind her back so she couldn't see, leaving Blake to wonder what on Earth the trickster had up her sleeve this time.

"What is it?"

"That would defeat the purpose of a surprise, Blake." She sat down next to her and placed the small box in her hands.

Blake's eyes lowered down to the mystery box and widened when it shook. "Yang? Why is my present moving…?"

"Just open it!"

So she did. And Yang wished that she could've captured her reaction on video, because it was absolutely, hilariously priceless. Gold met amber, a perfect match, really, and Blake almost dropped the kitten. Pulling her out carefully, the girl was greeted with a high-pitched meow and a yawn, as the cat had been asleep when Yang placed her carefully into the box. Blake stared at her for what seemed like ages. And finally, she smiled, eyes glossy and hands trembling. She wasn't scared or upset. Yang knew that for a fact. This was pure happiness.

"Isn't she just the _purrfect_ gift?" Yang snickered as she made a pun. "It's a pretty _pawesome_ present!"

"Yang…" Blake couldn't laugh at her jokes, since this small cat was so much better. "You really…"

She took advantage of her silence. "I got you a cat because, well, y'know, cats are cool. I mean, I like dogs myself. I have Zwei, ha. But I figured a small kitten would be nice for you to have at home, since you're alone so much. I've got everything you'll need to take care of her, if you'll take her, of course!" Yang met her eyes. "She's really, really playful. Her name is Gambol, but you can change it if you want."

The whole gesture might've been the kindest thing the girl had received since she moved. Or at least that's what Yang hoped. She wanted to give her something incredible.

Blake seemed to think about the name. Then, she shook her head. "No. I like that name."

"Yay!" Ruby cried out in glee. "Yang, you did such a good job!"

"I'd like to think so," her sister winked.

Just then, the back door rattled. It could only be either her father or Qrow, since they were they only ones besides the two girls who knew how to get in. Yang glanced at her sister. Quick on her feet, she went up to go let them in, even though it had been close to an hour past midnight now. Yang looked over at Blake, who stroked Gambol just behind her ears. The action elicited a small mewl in reply. Clearly, she made her happy.

"You like her, huh?" Yang already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it anyway.

"I love her very much." Blake lifted her eyes. "Yang, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I haven't had a pet in a long time."

"Yeah? Well… You deserve it! You've been a really good friend, Blake."

Yang leaned forward to pet the cat, but something wet found its way under her knee. Or, at least, it felt wet. Either way, it was slippery, and by the time Yang realized it was a piece of wrapping, she had already slipped on something hard and soft at the same time. Muttering a small curse under her breath, she blinked to find Blake underneath her. _God damn it, what's with falling so much?_ she thought to herself, remembering the one time she fell in a trash can, thanks to the girl under her. That seemed like ages ago.

Grumbling and pained, Blake sat up, her eyes still closed from the force of the impact. Yang's breath hitched and she put a hand on the other girl's shoulder, trying to steady her and warn her of her own presence. When Blake's eyes fluttered open, she felt her mouth go dry completely. Faces only inches apart, smooth and warm skin against skin, light lavender meeting liquid gold—all of it was too much for Yang to bear. But instead of moving away like she should have, she remained frozen.

 _Damn._

Every voice in her head yelled at her to move, especially because she could hear her sister, father, and uncle only a few rooms down. But she didn't. She couldn't.

Blake looked so stunned. She failed to respond and could only meet Yang's expression similarly. _Xiao Long, snap out of it!_ Yang yelled internally. Nothing. _Move!_ She heard her volleyball coach yelling at her to get back to the line. She stopped breathing when Blake moved instead, her eyelids shutting slowly. _Yang, move!_ Pyrrha Nikos' booming voice rang in her skull, the only other person she'd obey out on the court. She swore she heard her name escape between Blake's lips, softer than a whisper. Please move? Wait, what did she need to do again? She closed her eyes, steadying herself on her palm on the floor. _Yang… Yang, are you going to move?_ She heard Ruby's small plea when she felt Blake's fingers grip her forearm for support, and felt…

"Yang?"

 _Shit._

Before Taiyang could round the corner, Yang mustered all the courage she had to get up and act as normal as possible. She thanked herself a million times that she did so, because even though her father was somewhat drunk, she was sure he'd never let her live it down if he caught her doing… whatever the Hell that was.

"Oh, Blake. Hello," he waved at her. "Uh. Looks like you opened presents without me!"

A nervous laugh. "Yeah! We can open yours now…" Yang looked over at Blake, but she didn't catch her eye. She was looking for Gambol, who hid in her box more because she was tired than anything else.

After presents, they said nothing else besides wishing one another a good night.

 _Great job, you dumbass._ Yang stripped off her reindeer outfit down to her underwear and pulled over a huge shirt. Her bed felt somewhat cold tonight, a strange feeling, since she never felt cold. It was certainly big enough to fit another person if she wanted, as she always had Ruby stay in it whenever she wished. But perhaps it was for the better that Blake decided to sleep in Ruby's room with her. After all, Ruby had the queen-sized bed, meant for whenever friends would come over anyway. _Oh damn it, what the heck were you thinking, moving like that?_ As she tossed around, blankets strewn all over the place, she couldn't help but wonder one thing, seeing smoldering, golden eyes the whole time.

 _What the Hell was that?_

* * *

 **A/N: How did you like it? Most of you have noticed that I've given this story a -T rating, and for good reason. Although, up to now, there's been quite a bit of fluff and character development, the story isn't always going to be happy and there _will_ be more conflicts and complications down the line. But don't worry! Little do you readers know how I've got this all planned out. ;)**

 **Thank you all for reading! Please leave a review so I can see what I should improve on.**


	6. Mirror Mirror

**Chapter Six: Mirror Mirror**

After making bad decisions, most people find the next morning difficult to face. A rising sun means the exposure of the shame and consequences of the previous evening. But for Yang, it wasn't just the next morning. The next _few_ mornings were so, so painful. She didn't see Blake after Christmas Day and throughout the rest of the break. At first, she was eternally grateful, because it meant not needing to talk about _it._ But as the days dragged out, a nagging pang irritated her. If there was one thing anyone needed to know about Yang, it was that she always got what she wanted, especially when she asked the question _Why?_ Not seeing Blake only meant postponing the answer to that question. Her absence drove her mad, but she failed to motivate herself. She didn't send a text, she didn't drive over to say hi, she didn't even ask Ruby if she could talk to her.

Then, it occurred to her that she might already know the answer.

 _Of course._ How could she not see it? She was the problem! She had the power to move away but she didn't. She had every choice in the world that _wasn't_ closing in on Blake as if she was going to kiss her and she chose to lean in anyway. _Damn, am I getting that desperate?_ And yet, she wondered to herself how soft her lips must have been. They were parted and seemed so ready, so patient, so—

"Whatcha thinking about, Yang?"

Ruby's voice sent a jolt throughout her body, surprising her. As she sat at the dining table, Yang realized that she left her stack of waffles nearly untouched, while her sister had already gone through a few. They locked eyes and Yang recognized that small frown and furrowed brows. Obviously, her thoughts must have been dancing all around her own face.

"Nothing."

Ruby drained her glass and shook her head. "You're so bad at lying."

"Really, Ruby, it's nothing."

 _Wow, excellent word choice!_

"Yang?" Ruby gently set down her silverware on her plate to resume eating later. "Are you hiding something from me?"

Her stomach dropped. "Why would you ever think that?"

"Well, it's just… You haven't really been yourself lately around me. I've noticed that you've been really tired all the time and you kind of seem… muted, almost." She shrugged. "You're just not you."

Yang grumbled. "Is it really that obvious?"

"That you're upset? Yeah, duh."

She frowned and lowered her eyes. Of course her sister would see right through her. "I'm really confused."

"About what?"

"How do I even…" Yang racked her brain to find all of her arguments, taking a few seconds before she plucked up the courage. "Ruby, you've had crushes before, right?"

The question disarmed her little sister. Blushing lightly, she nodded. "Yeah. You knew that!"

"Right. And when you have a crush on someone, you normally tell them, right?"

Ruby restrained a laugh. "No, Yang. Most people don't just tell their crushes."

"Then what the Hell do you do with your feelings?" Yang asked, voice strained and head in her hands. "Why can't people just tell me if they like me instead of hiding it? I sure as Hell would speak up…"

"Who are you worried about _this_ time?" This topic seemed to occur so often that Ruby was no longer worried.

But her sister definitely was. "It's going to sound so crazy."

"Uh, it can't be crazier than when Jaune Arc said he had a crush on you your freshman year."

"Touché." She drew a deep breath and wished all her anxiety would go away when she exhaled. "It's Blake."

Yang thought Ruby would guffaw right then and there. Instead, she gave a small smile, eyebrows raised in interest. "You think Blake likes you?"

"I don't know!" she yelled. "I don't know."

Breakfast forgotten, Ruby leaned in closer. "What makes you think she likes you?"

"I just get this feeling, y'know?" Yang ran a hand through her thick mane. "She's just so nice. Like, I mean, she's really nice to everyone, but she's so talkative with me sometimes and she is so _beautiful,_ y'know?" She was rambling, but she didn't care. "And sometimes she's really quiet but that's when we're studying and she's always trying to help me out and she hasn't done anything to hurt my trust and she loves our family, Rubes, man she could live here if she wanted to. And I almost kissed her on Christmas and—"

"What?!" Ruby squeaked, jaw hanging open. "You what?!"

"Yeah!" Yang groaned, her cheeks feeling as though they were on fire. "I know! I know, isn't that stupid or what? But, she didn't really move away either… See! There, she didn't move away! That's something! Am I gay, Rubes, is that the thing? How do you even know when you're straight?" At this point, she _really_ didn't care what was coming out of her mouth, as long as she was getting her feelings out.

Ruby inhaled sharply and found it hard to say the right words without having a laughing fit. "Yang, slow down. You almost kissed her on Christmas? What stopped you?"

Oh, how embarrassing it was for the poor blonde. "Dad. He was rounding the corner."

Her sister hummed. Then, she asked, "If he wasn't coming, would you have kissed her anyway?"

She was damned if she answered yes and damned if she answered no, so she shut up.

"I think you're a little too stressed out, Yang." Ruby's voice softened, hoping to calm her sister down a bit. "Would it be bad to just ask where you are?"

Yang pondered. "I want to know how she feels, but I feel like it would be wrong to ask, since I don't even know where I stand."

"If it's that much of an issue for you, then maybe you should take time to sort out your own feelings." Yang looked up at her, her attention fully captured. Ruby continued, saying, "Whatever comes your way, you should accept it with an open heart. I bet it's probably scary, especially after last summer. But that doesn't mean you should close yourself off." Her smile widened. "That's what mom would say."

 _Mom…_ Yang's mind instantly jumped to Summer and her warm, kind heart. _I bet you'd be laughing at me too, if you're not already._ Finally relaxed, she nodded her head. "Yeah. You're right."

"You'll figure it out, Yang. You always do." She offered another encouraging smile. "Just take it as it is. I'm sure it'll be made clear to you if something is meant to be."

Ruby might not have been the most charismatic or elegant speaker, but she always knew what to say to make Yang feel better. "Thanks, Ruby. Sorry I kinda distracted us from breakfast."

"We could always eat cookies for breakfast!"

She happily obliged; the morning wasn't so painful, then.

* * *

"Everyone skips the first day back from break." Weiss dabbed her mouth with a napkin. She tossed her finished lunch in the trash. "I'm surprised so many people are here." She pulled out a stack of papers from her bag and uncapped her pen.

"I guess we can't all afford a day off. Semester finals are coming up, after all."

The girl scowled. "I'm well aware."

Blake took no offense to her sour expression and gave a small grin instead. The two sat in the leadership room, where the majority of Beacon's school functions were planned. It was fairly rare for Blake to be here, but Weiss had to uphold her duties as a member of the student council, which meant countless hours spent sorting paperwork and approving requests of all kinds. Usually, there were pods of students working on their class projects or chit-chatting with one another. Today, however, Blake had Weiss all to herself. As of late, everyone seemed to be demanding her attention, asking for help in class or simply approval with a new project. Being alone with her made her feel somewhat special.

"How was your break?" Blake asked, hands wrapped around her mug of tea.

Weiss stamped the front page of a packet and scanned over the next few paragraphs. "Fine," she replied, signing where she needed to. "It was cold, of course. The snow almost kept me there for another day. But thankfully, my father isn't always so clueless. He listened to me for once and we managed to get here on time."

Blake noticed the pen she held between her fingers and mentally applauded herself. She knew the girl would appreciate a fountain pen for Christmas. Watching the tip scratch harshly against the paper, she realized that Weiss, although left-handed, hardly ever smudged her words—another testament to how precise she was, even in something so easy as writing.

"How was yours?" she asked her, eyes lifting off the papers for just a moment.

Blake nearly opened her mouth to answer that it was great. But she remembered Christmas, remembered Yang, and replied, "It was alright," instead.

"I trust Christmas went well, then?"

"Er." She swallowed. "Quite well."

But at that, Weiss glanced up for a split second to cast her a suspicious look.

"Really, it went well," Blake added. "Ruby and Yang are always good company."

While a certain blonde might have had trouble keeping the incident to herself, Blake swore that she wouldn't talk about it to anyone else. First of all, it was a private matter, so no one really had to know to begin with. Secondly, even though it was Weiss, she didn't want to trouble her with her own small issues. What happened was exactly what it was. Blake remembered closing her eyes, willing for Yang to kiss her, and opening her eyes to see her father around the corner.

Yeah. Really well.

"I'm glad," the snow angel muttered.

Blake said no more and let her go through a few more packets. When the bell rang, she gave out a pent up sigh. Weiss put away the rest of the papers into her bag and looked up. "Do you want to come over today?"

Blake felt her eyebrows furrow together and her lips press into a line, her head tilting to the side just slightly. _Is the Ice Queen really inviting me over to her house?_ "Is something the matter?"

She rolled her eyes. "You could just say no."

 _How does she do that? Changing her expression and her mood so quickly…_ "Weiss, you've never asked me to go over to your house," Blake replied flatly, still trying to process the question. "Aren't you busy?"

"Fine, I'll take that as a no."

"No!" Blake protested, leaning onto the table. "That's not what I meant. Are you sure I won't get in your way?" She knew the girl was busy with fencing, the student council, keeping up with school, and much more. She didn't want to cause an inconvenience or serve as a distraction.

Weiss frowned and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Don't be a dunce. Why would I invite you over if I didn't want you to come over? Who do you take me for?"

"A Schnee," Blake answered. "A Schnee who has lots of things to do." The girl was being so stubborn, she wanted to laugh a little. "I would like to come over, if the offer still stands, and if you're not so offended."

Realizing how on-edge she must have seemed just then, Weiss averted her eyes and brought her arms through her jacket, silent. Something seemed off. She looked so pained, an expression Blake never saw on her porcelain face _._ In a voice softer than a whisper, she murmured, "I don't normally invite people to come to my house, but I could really use your company today."

How could she be so despondent? Reaching out, Blake put her hand on her shoulder. Gold met sapphire and she gave a weak smile. "I'll be there. I'll wait for you after school."

* * *

"Are you just going to stand there?" Weiss called out after her, turning her head around.

Blake wanted to take a few steps forward, but she couldn't with her legs feeling like frozen ice. Everything was so _grand._ She didn't know why she hadn't expected as much, given the incredible baroque architecture she observed when she first stepped onto the property. The interior proved to be just as extraordinary. The baroque style, if Blake remembered correctly, promoted a sense of triumph, exuberance, and grandeur, much like the family who owned this place. With high, ornate ceilings and impressive furnishings, the Schnee Manor certainly lived up to its reputation of wealth and luxury.

"Sorry," Blake apologized, removing her shoes. "Your house is huge."

"So it would seem," Weiss allowed herself grin, walking up the large stairway. "My room is this way."

Blake followed her, looking at the large paintings on the walls. The hallway seemed to extend into oblivion, rooms on the left side the entire way through. As she walked, Blake caught a few glimpses of the bathrooms, the sitting rooms, and the powder rooms, wondering all the while who on Earth would need this much space. There were no signs of anyone in the house besides the maids and the butlers. Weiss stopped at the doorway of the last room and pushed open the door.

Inside, there was a four-poster, king-sized bed, with a beautiful canopy and sheer dressings, a large desk near the window, a mirror, and two other doors. Blake assumed those probably led to another bathroom and a dressing-room. Despite its size, the room was hardly decorated, the walls remaining a stark white. It seemed clean, almost sanitary, and reminded Blake more of a hospital room than a place to call home. She watched as Weiss set down her bag near her desk and pulled back some of the dressings to sit on her bed. The girl let out a long, drawn-out sigh. She couldn't help but wonder if she had been holding her breath the entire time.

"Would you like tea? I can send for a maid to bring it up."

Blake took a seat next to her. "No, but thank you."

They were quiet for a while. Blake didn't want to break the silence, knowing that the princess was thinking about something and how to bring it up. So they let a few minutes pass away as the sun began its descent. There were a few bursts of color here and there, but for the most part, the room remained gray and sullen.

When Weiss finally spoke, her voice was so quiet, it almost seemed frail. "Did you know that I was supposed to attend Atlas Academy, too?"

Blake shook her head. "I didn't. Why are you here at Beacon?"

"Ozpin, actually." She let her back hit the mattress. "He knows my father very well and convinced him to let me go here. I didn't want to go to Atlas."

Blake knew why Weiss wouldn't want to go there. Although everything had worked out fine for herself, she knew that the girl probably couldn't handle the regimented lifestyle, the bleak winters, and the colorless world Atlas represented. She wasn't sure how she did it either, now that she thought about it. Remembering the conversation she had with Beacon's headmaster months ago, she still wondered about her parents' wills and their decision. The move had worked out after all and she enjoyed Beacon, but why couldn't she be here sooner? What had Ozpin said to Mr. Schnee to move his daughter across the country?

Suddenly, she heard a tiny gasp of air and looked at Weiss.

"I wish everything was different," the girl whispered more to herself than to her friend. "I wish that things didn't have to be this way."

"Weiss, you're not making any sense…"

A single tear rolled down the side of her face, trailing across her temple.

Then it clicked.

Weiss Schnee was falling apart. She was ripping at the seams, her senses spilling everywhere, the mask shattering. Blake wondered why she hadn't seen this coming, why it was so unexpected.

Gingerly, she laid down next to her friend, keeping their bodies far enough apart so that they weren't touching, yet close enough to hear her soft sobs and quiet whimpers. Turning her head, she noticed just how delicate she was in her state of agony. In a strange way, she looked beautiful even when she was crying. Her sapphire pools were glossy, her cheeks just a light shade of pink, lips just slightly swollen from biting down on it to shut up.

"Oh, Blake," she mewled, bringing a hand to her face. "I cannot believe I'm c-crying in front of you," she stammered.

"It doesn't matter. I'm right here." It didn't feel right to ask _What's wrong?_ so blatantly, so she let her regain her composure somewhat and listened.

"I thought that being able to attend Beacon would ease some of my anxieties somehow, but I'm… I'm still so _trapped_ ," she cried. "No one understands, Blake. No one knows what it's like to be me, to be a Schnee. Everyone assumes that I have it so wonderfully because I'm so intelligent and so rich, but they don't understand anything at all. They think I'm Weiss Schnee, rich, snobby, know-it-all, who doesn't feel anything. But it just hurts… Everything hurts."

Not knowing what else to do, Blake found her hand and held it in her chest, close to her heart. She was cold to the touch. "What don't they understand?"

Weiss shut her eyes, willing for her tears to disappear so she could sit straight and act properly, but they wouldn't. Taking a deep breath, she answered, "My father. They don't understand him at all. He might seem kind to everyone who meets him, but on the inside, he's cold. He's so ruthless. Do you know what it's like to hear that your dreams mean nothing and that you have a solemn duty, as a Schnee, to uphold the family business?" She frowned. "Or what it's like to have your only role model torn away from you because she has to protect our country? The burden weighs on me, to uphold the family name, and yet…"

And yet…

"I can't do it. I just can't. I'm a burden to everyone around me."

Blake shook her head vigorously, squeezing her hand. "No you're not. You're not a burden, Weiss."

"But I am," she hiccuped. "All I do is cause pain for others. When do I make others genuinely happy? And others don't care about me either. Seeing you happy with Ruby and Yang hurts somehow. I know that this is incredibly stupid to admit, and I have no reason in the world to be jealous of you, but I am, Blake. You are surrounded by so many people who love you, by Ruby and Yang's family. I don't have that."

It struck her, then. She was lonely.

 _You and I are not so very different from one another, Blake. We're both trying to find the weaknesses in one another._

 _She is so lonely…_

"You realize that I'm your friend, right?" Blake asked. Precious jewels stared back at her, unblinking. "Being friends with someone is like family. Our friends are the family that we can choose. So even if it really is a burden for you to be a Schnee, you have me. Yang respects you greatly and you've been friends with her for a long time now. And although it may not seem like it, Ruby likes you, too. She was really touched with the gift that you got her."

She gave a tired smile in disbelief, her strength leaving her with every second. "Did she really? That dolt…"

"Yes, really." Blake returned a smile. "Weiss, even if you are lonely, just know that you've done so much for me. I can't tell you how Yang feels. I don't know. But I know that I like her very much. You've done a lot for me by bringing us together, first with our Homecoming group, Thanksgiving, and then with Christmas, I suspect. All that means something because you've… brought me something that…"

She was at a loss for words, unexpectedly finding it difficult to speak. "You've… brought me Yang. And that means a lot to me." _This is not about you. This is about her. "_ Weiss, even if people actually hated you, you have people who love you." Blake gave her a sad grin. "I love you." The words rolled off her tongue honest and true, easily and gracefully.

Just as Weiss thought she was finished crying, salty beads welled up in her eyes once again and poured out like small rivers, more violently than they had only moments before. She let her guard down completely and moved closer to Blake, throwing an arm around her and burying her head into the crook of her neck to continue sobbing. At first, the amber-eyed girl was unsure if it was alright to hug her, knowing that Weiss _hated_ physical touch. But when she didn't move, Blake realized she needed it more than ever and held her close. She let her break down, thinking that she probably cried herself to sleep alone in bed more often than she wanted to. Somehow, her presence might be able to set her at ease.

When the fierce sobs had given way to shallower, silent, steady breathing, Blake wondered when was the last time Weiss had heard the words, _I love you._

* * *

The first thing Blake saw when her eyes fluttered open was the intricately designed canopy above her. Turning over, she noticed that Weiss had already gotten up, leaving her alone on the bed. _She must've moved a few minutes ago,_ she thought, feeling her spot and realizing it was still warm. She sat up and swung her legs over the edge. Deep shades of navy blue and indigo covered the room, making it hard to see. But the white-haired girl contrasted greatly against her surroundings as she stepped out of her private bathroom, drawing Blake's attention to her. Even in the darkness, it was easy to see those deep, azure eyes. Weiss cleared her throat and sat at the nook near the window.

"What time is it?" she asked Blake.

She felt the bed for her phone, finding it underneath one of the pillows. _Curious._ "It's after seven o'clock."

"Drat," she grumbled. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I'm sorry."

"Naps can't hurt you if you really need them." Though, she wasn't expecting herself to fall asleep either. "Do you feel better?"

A genuine smile appeared on her face, albeit a small one. "I do, thank you."

Blake took the opportunity to express her own feelings about the situation. "You don't have to play the heiress around me so much, Weiss. If you just told me what was going on, then I could've helped you a long time ago."

"That's easier said than done," she remarked, taking her jacket off. She hadn't undressed since they arrived. "It's not often that I go around showing others my weakness."

"I guess this makes us really good friends, then. What a funny thing, given how we first met… The name Ice Queen fits you so nicely." Blake tried to lighten up the mood. Her dry sarcasm and witty humor always made someone happy, right?

Weiss appreciated the effort and nodded. "Indeed." She looked over at her backpack and frowned. "I meant to invite you so we could do homework together but I… Ugh." She groaned, not believing that she could appear so weak. "I fell asleep."

"I can always spend time with you," Blake replied. "But I should get home. I think Gambol might need my company too."

She nodded, rising. "I'll take you home, then. We'll have to study for finals some other time." Just as she slipped on a pair of shoes, Weiss stopped at the doorway, her back still turned away from her friend. "Blake?" she called out, voice gentle and smooth.

"Yeah?"

"I… owe you so much." She didn't turn to face her. "For today. For tomorrow, and the rest of our friendship."

Blake smiled affectionately and followed her out.

* * *

Tossing her towel over her shoulder, Yang sauntered over to the kitchen, where she left her phone on the table. Unlocking it, she noticed that she had a few unread texts. Pyrrha wanted to work out again tomorrow, Nora probably needed help with homework, and… _what's this?_ The _Weiss Schnee demands my attention?_ Smirking to herself, she scanned over the message.

 **When can we meet? I have to talk to you about something important.**

 _Oh, right._ Yang forgot that Weiss had been trying to talk to her about something. That was weeks ago though, so maybe it was something different? Regardless, now that she was back, they'd have time.

 **You wanna come over?**

 **No, not tonight,** came back quickly. Usually the girl took several minutes, maybe even hours to reply. But clearly, she seemed eager in the conversation.

Yang's thumbs twiddled over the screen. **How about next week?**

 **Seriously, Yang?**

Oh, she was definitely interested. Instead of teasing her a little bit more, the blonde decided to call her, taking a seat and stretching out her legs. She was definitely going to feel today's workout in the morning.

The girl answered before the first ring ended. "Yang?"

"The one and only!" she laughed, imagining her friend's deadpan. "What's got you all up in a twist?"

A deep breath. "It's Blake."

* * *

 **A/N: Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed this last chapter. I know that it's very Weiss-centered, there's really not a lot of Bumblebee in this chapter, and it's shorter than previous ones, but this chapter is key to the set up of the next few chapters and the story as a whole. I tell you, healthy, platonic relationships are extremely important! I've always had a soft spot for best-friend Monochrome.**

 **Please leave me some feedback! I read every single review, so even if I don't reply, just know that it means a lot. You guys are really the best.**


	7. Now Taking Suggestions

**Chapter Seven: Now Taking Suggestions**

"Weiss, you can't be serious!"

"I am completely serious," the girl replied, taking a slow drink from her mug. It wasn't even eight thirty in the morning and she was already on her third cup of coffee. "And you know that you must give it some thought, at least."

Yang scratched the back of her neck and huffed, thinking about the last thirty seconds. "You know, when you said it was something about Blake, I honestly wasn't thinking this…"

"Then what did you think it was?"

"I thought you guys got in a fight or something…" Anything could happen with the Ice Queen. "I mean, from the way you sounded, it seemed kinda… dark?"

She watched a smile flash just for a moment on Weiss' face, only for her to purse her lips and raise an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"You're givin' me a headache," Yang whined, resting her chin on her hand.

Normally, Weiss would sit in class even a half hour before to get ready and Yang would hang around the courtyard with her boisterous friends. This morning, however, they sat in the school's grand hall. Around them, students from the leadership class and the student council were setting up a booth meant specifically for Valentine's Day candy grams. This tradition occurred the week leading up to the holiday. However, since it was during the weekend for this year, they'd hand them out the Friday before. Just seeing it made Yang's stomach ache, because it meant boys, and those were always a pain. And it meant dating and relationships and love, and those were all so bothersome. Especially now. She glanced back to her friend, who finished her drink.

"It's merely a suggestion," Weiss spoke.

Ask Blake out on a date? For Valentine's Day? A suggestion?

"I can't do that _,_ Weiss, c'mon…" A blush appeared on her face, betraying her true emotions.

"Oh really?" She leaned forward onto the table. "You're telling me that _you,_ Yang Xiao Long, star athlete and Beacon's favorite girl, can't take your _friend_ out on a _friendly_ date in a completely _friendly_ way?"

Yang grumbled. "You say it's supposed to be friendly but I know you're wanting it to be more."

She sent over a playful glance before looking away and replying, "I said no such thing. It's merely a suggestion."

At least she didn't know about Christmas Eve. If she did, she'd be arranging their wedding by now. Or she'd have Yang's head on a silver platter. She could never be sure with Weiss.

"I don't even know if I… swing that way, y'know?" She let out a sigh. "I've been thinking about this a lot and it's honestly pretty scary. I mean, I've never felt this way towards a girl before… Maybe this is just being really fascinated with someone?"

Weiss took her time and filled up yet another mug full of that liquid energy that she loved so much. "Sexuality aside, you're admitting to me that you like someone, aren't you?"

"No. I mean. Yeah?" Pained and horribly ashamed so early in the morning, she put her head down in her folded arms. "I don't know. You keep asking me questions that I don't know how to answer."

Yang heard her take her seat opposite her. Then she felt a finger poke her head lightly.

"Listen to me, Yang," Weiss started. "You see what they're doing around us, don't you? Valentine's Day might be a Hallmark holiday, but it affects us all in some way. This is Blake's first and last year here at Beacon, so she doesn't know the boys here as well as we do. Even though we both know Sun's bound to give her something, who else will?" Weiss drained a portion of her cup, not minding how scalding hot it was. "That's not to insult her reputation at all, but I'm being realistic. You're going to have the entire school ask you out, again, like they normally do. Blake won't have that."

Yang looked everywhere but at her friend, because she knew she was right. "But…"

"No," Weiss countered. "No buts, Yang. I'm right. Besides," she paused, measuring her next set of words carefully. "It's nice to know someone cares enough to take you out on such an… interesting day. It's rather thoughtful, really. I think it will help you to discern your feelings."

That caught her attention. Yang met her eyes, knowing that Weiss understood loneliness better than anyone else she knew. _It must suck to be so popular and smart and have no one ask you to be their valentine._ She smiled and pulled Weiss' mug towards her, taking a small drink out of it herself. She drank her coffee black, but she didn't care. "You make a pretty good point. I bet she'd be pretty happy. You know, Weiss, you're a pretty great friend."

She shot her a dirty look and took her coffee back. "Good friends don't take what isn't theirs." She shook her head and grinned when Yang kept the mug away from her again. "But I suppose sharing is alright."

* * *

Blake hated Valentine's Day.

She hated any made-up holiday, really, but she especially disliked Valentine's Day because of its overly saccharine events and the ridiculous social standards of romantic relationships. It meant more couples would be daring enough to make out in public, exposing themselves to everyone else. People blew money on the stupidest things in hope to woo their dates, as if it were the only day to do so. _If people really loved their significant others, wouldn't they want to show it throughout the year? Not just one day?_

Perhaps some of the bitterness had stemmed out of the fact that she never really had anyone to enjoy it with anyway. She couldn't remember the last time someone had asked her to be their valentine. But she didn't mind, as she didn't care, really. She knew love didn't always end up like it did in _Ninjas of Love_ , so she never grew to expect anything romantic to really happen to her, even on Valentine's Day. There was only one time in her life when she actually "celebrated" it, having gone out on a nice date. That night seemed like so long ago, when she was two or three years younger and more naïve about the world. That was when Adam was still a good man, not someone she could no longer recognize.

But she tried not to think about him too much.

 _Valentine's Day is this Sunday,_ she complained to herself as she walked right past the candy grams booth. Beacon, of course, didn't have to wait until the weekend to decorate the whole school in red, pink, and white. It was Friday, which means they'd be observing it today. The amount of couples who had the sheer audacity to publicly display their affection grossed her out. She could only imagine how many sweets Yang and Pyrrha would get today, and maybe Weiss would get something too. Besides, people couldn't hate the her that much, could they? Thinking twice, Blake stopped in the middle of the breezeway to look back at the stupid booth. There weren't a lot of people, and they _were_ only a dollar to send off. Plus, they'd be donating the money to some local charity. So maybe… Maybe she could send one to someone? Ruby, or Weiss, or maybe even Yang?

No. No, no, no.

They'd get enough attention as it was.

She rounded the corner by her locker and nearly jumped out of her skin when she ran into Yang. This time, she reacted quickly enough and held her hands out so the other girl didn't send her flying backwards. After an initial moment of surprise, Blake felt her cheeks burn and she hated herself for blushing so easily around Yang.

"Oh, hey Blakey!" Yang laughed, using her doting nickname. She started calling her that after Christmas. Blake couldn't be sure why, but she didn't mind it so much, so she didn't argue.

"Good morning, Yang," she replied calmly, smoothing out her hair and clutching her textbooks closer.

To say the first few days back from break were awkward was a serious understatement. Out of their embarrassment, both girls had trouble speaking to one another, each trying to say something and never fully finishing it. But, with the help of Ruby and Weiss, who knew bits and pieces of the whole story, the awkwardness eventually died away. By getting together as a group, they had the chance to talk somehow. Christmas felt like forever ago and yesterday at the same time. Now, she was glad she could talk to her… friend.

"So," the blonde dragged out, leaning against Blake's locker. "Whatcha gonna do for the weekend? It's Valentine's Day this Sunday, after all."

Blake shrugged, as if she hadn't worked out what she was going to do ages ago. "I don't know. Maybe I'll put on a movie and study. I don't do anything for Valentine's Day."

"Study?" Yang was incredulous. "Finals are over! You should take a break."

That was true. Blake felt that she needed to catch up on her sleep anyway, so maybe she'd just sleep the weekend off instead. "I could relax a bit. What are you going to be doing? I'm sure you probably have a date or something." She couldn't imagine the girl hadn't been asked a billion times today.

Yang gave her a lopsided grin and pushed her bangs back. "Yeah, well… It's not like I said yes to any of them." Drawing in a deep breath, she crossed her arms and said, "Listen, uh… I was actually thinking we could hang out on Sunday, if you're free."

Blake felt her chest tighten and her heart begin to race. She really wished her body would quit reacting in such a way every time Yang said or did _literally anything._ "Really?"

Yang shrugged then, her lilac eyes averting Blake's own golden ones. "Er… Yeah! You know, a lot of people ask if I can go out with them on a date or something and usually Valentine's Day is pretty… well, I get lots of candy and stuff but. Uh." She cleared her throat upon noticing she was starting to ramble again. "But… I decided this year that I should really spend it with people I love! So, I wanted to hang out with you, y'know? If you want to, of course, you don't have to."

She didn't even have to give it a second thought. "Yang, I'd love to. Who would we be with?"

Just then, she thought she saw a smirk creep up on her face. "I, uh, wasn't planning on hanging out with anyone else besides you."

Blake felt warm, in a bad way. In a really, really bad way. As she turned the same shade as a tomato, she stuttered, "R-really?"

"Yeah! I mean, you can bring Weiss! Or Ruby! If you want!" Yang followed up, picking up on the feelings of trepidation and anxiety.

 _No way._ Blake stood tall and locked her eyes, demanding Yang's full attention. Steadying herself as best as she can, she confidently posed a question. "Yang, are you asking me out on a date?"

The girl opened her mouth to speak but a small _ha_ came out instead. Her hand shot up to scratch the back of her neck and she shuffled a foot back and forth. "I guess so, yeah. I mean, you took me out the last time, so I thought… maybe I could make you happy and take you out…?"

 _Adorable_. She couldn't be sure if Yang had any other intentions besides developing their _very platonic friendship._ But even if she did, would she care? With a smile, Blake answered, "I would be honored to go out with you, Yang."

Instantly beaming, the girl grabbed her shoulders and exclaimed, "Really? Blake, that's great! Cool! Great, uh. Cool!"

"Cool," she chuckled quietly, getting a good whiff of Yang's citrus scent as they hugged. Well, she would have hugged her, if she wasn't holding three books in her arms.

"I'll text you more about it later alright? I'll catch ya later. I'm so glad you said yes," Yang smiled, letting her go and walking away.

It just occurred to her that she would be celebrating Valentine's Day. Blake wasn't sure if she should congratulate or curse at herself. So in her head, as she took her stuff out of her locker, she did both.

* * *

"You're going out on a date?" Ruby asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I know, isn't that surprising?" Yang responded sarcastically. "I've gone on these before, Ruby."

"You're wearing a dress."

"So? I have tons of dresses."

"And you're doing your makeup!"

Ruby's high-pitched squeak surprised her, making her drag the liquid crookedly on her eyelid. "And now I'm late, 'cuz you definitely just messed up my eyeliner. Thanks."

"Sorry," her sister offered apologetically, handing her a small wipe. "I'm just not used to seeing you like this, really. Usually you're pretty casual on your dates."

That was true. It didn't take much to please the girl, so any date was fairly simple and cheap. But, since Blake had paid for everything the last time, she took it upon herself to plan their evening and take the date seriously. The course of the night would be fairly simple, but enjoyable all the same. She just wanted to make her happy. It wasn't anything romantic… Or, at least, she was trying to convince herself it wasn't anything romantic.

Fixing the smudge on her face, Yang laughed a bit and said, "It's Blake, though. I feel like I need to look nice around her. Blake always looks really pretty."

" _Mhmm,_ " Ruby hummed playfully, fixing the hem of her sister's red dress. She hadn't worn it in years and it sure made her look wonderful, hugging her torso tightly to loosen and flow down above the knee. "Blake is pretty."

"And she's really nice too," Yang continued, her face finished. "I'll make sure to use my best manners tonight."

"Yes, Blake is very well-mannered, and pretty, and definitely more than just a friend to you."

The blonde sent her a glare. "You don't know that."

"Yang, I'm pretty sure I'm right about that one." She gave a quirky grin and added, "You wouldn't be dressing up for anyone else but her. You've been spending more time with her. And you can't stop talking about her."

Curse her for always, always teasing her big sister.

Curse her for knowing about Christmas.

That little runt.

 _I give up._ Spraying a few bursts of perfume on her, she replied, "Yeah, well. Blake doesn't feel that way."

"Right, even though she wanted you to kis—"

"Ruby!" Yang barked, eyes nearly turning crimson.

Mischievously giggling, she inched back before Yang could physically torture her. "Oh Yang, you're in love."

"I'm not in love," she muttered, slinging her purse over her shoulder. "We're just friends."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just teasing you." Ruby smiled, hugging her. "Enjoy your date! Tell me all about it when you get home, too. Blake's my friend, too."

"Yeah, yeah."

Outside, the sun had already finished its descent, leaving a few rays of scattered oranges, pinks, and reds across a blue sky. The air was cool for a February night, kissing Yang's cheeks as she walked out to start the car. It didn't seem right to ride Bumblebee for tonight, even though she really wanted to. They'd have more comfort in the car anyway. It wasn't a particularly handsome vehicle, being nearly twenty years old and owned by a line of people before the Rose-Xiao Long family. But somehow Yang knew Blake wouldn't care. In a bit of a hurry, she raced down to her house by the ocean, nearly running a red light just out of pure, sheer excitement. She couldn't help it.

Yang rang the doorbell. Within a few seconds, she heard the sound of footsteps. Blake graced her with her presence, looking so beautiful she felt her jaw hang open just slightly. With her wavy hair cascading down her back and adorned by a little black dress—the same one she wore on Thanksgiving day—she looked so stunning and yet so simple. In her hair, she wore a matching black bow. Those seemed to fit her nicely. Yang had to remember to take a deep breath. She wasn't sure why her look surprised her so much. She'd seen her in much less and she already knew she was pretty.

Ah, curses.

"Hey," she mustered lamely. "You ready to go?"

"Yes," the young lady answered, locking the door and following her to the car. "Where exactly are we going?"

"We're gonna eat first, that's where we're going. Wouldn't want to be too hungry for the thing we're doing afterwards!" Pushing the key into the ignition, she looked over at her date for the night. "My dad always told me to participate, not anticipate."

"Okay, Yang," she rolled her eyes.

Even though she seemed completely spontaneous and lax about the majority of things, Yang had taken her time to plan this date out. That always seemed to be the case with Blake. She checked her phone before leaving, scanning once more over the details of the evening. Just because she could, afterwards, she checked the few text she had received.

Ruby had sent her a message as she pulled in. She imagined her sister tapping away at her screen. **Good luck Yang! :D Love you so much!**

Weiss had decided to send her something, too. **Be careful with Blake, please. Enjoy your outing tonight. And DON'T try anything tonight. I will know if you do.**

Yeah, it was about to be a good night.

Smirking to herself, she backed out of the driveway and headed out to town.

* * *

Well, _this_ certainly wasn't what Yang was expecting.

When she asked Weiss a few days before the fateful night out for a good sushi place, she expected a basic hole-in-the-wall with good food—not a high-end, fancy signs, dramatic lighting restaurant like this. The chefs cooked the food right in front of each patron, working wonders and creating edible art. There was a good amount of people here, making it busy without making it unbearably so. She wasn't sure why she didn't think Weiss would recommend such a nice place for food, given that she enjoyed fine dining. Her first concern was her money, then Blake. But she didn't have to worry so much about the latter. Golden eyes wide with wonder and a growing smile on her face, she already seemed to be fairly eager to eat.

"Have you ever gone here before?" she asked when the waiter had seated them next to each other.

"Nope. I asked the Ice Queen, actually," she confessed, breaking her chopsticks apart. "She always knows good places to chow."

"Really?"

Yang nodded and flashed her a cheeky smile. "I figured sushi would make you happy, since you like seafood a lot."

"You definitely pay attention to things like that. Thank you," she said gratefully.

Dinner commenced shortly after they sat down. Blake ordered a large plate for her, full of different kinds of California rolls, nigiri, and some desserts. Yang settled for some easy rolls, not feeling strongly for fish. This kind of food wasn't up her alley, but if it was up Blake's, she'd stomach through it like a champ.

She'd do a lot for Blake, now that she thought about it.

The two dined without a great deal of conversation, enjoying their food. Blake had an easy time going through each individual piece, savoring every bite. By the time Yang finished two rolls, she had already eaten five. Whether that was because she was seriously hungry or ecstatic because it was seafood was unknown, but it didn't matter. Just sitting next to her made her happy.

"Yang," Blake mumbled between bites. "This is so good. Thank you. I owe you one."

"Nah, don't worry about paying me back. Just enjoy your dinner."

"If you're going to pay for me every time, maybe I'll go out on dates with you more often," she teased, her golden eyes twinkling dangerously with something Yang couldn't figure out.

Typically, she'd keep up and banter, but she blushed and drank her water, murmuring, "Okay, Blakey."

The two enjoyed their time in silence after dinner as Yang took them to their next destination. That was how it was most of the time they were together. By staying quiet, Blake, more than anyone else, even more than Pyrrha, always set her mind at ease whenever she was with her. She enjoyed doing homework with her, as she always motivated and helped Yang whenever she needed to. In the middle of class, if there was some down time, she'd have her nose deep in a book. She never raised her voice, never surprised her on purpose, never upset her. Well, besides that first time. Yang could never wrap her head around how tranquil she could be. As they cruised down the streets, she didn't want anything else.

When Yang pulled over to the side of the road and coasted to a field near the outskirts of town, Blake sent her a confused look.

"You fed me and now you're going to murder me and dump my body?"

"That's pretty dark, even for you!" Yang guffawed, holding her stomach. "Have you ever gone out to a drive-in movie?"

Blake tilted her head. "They have those here?"

"Yeah!" Yang found the line of cars and parked near the far end. "You can see just fine from here, right? I mean, the screen is pretty huge."

"I should be able to," she nodded.

"Well. Now we just wait. Shouldn't take a while. I thought we'd be late." Yang turned the car off and removed her seatbelt, leaning back.

"What are we watching?"

But the girl didn't get to answer, as the surrounding lights dimmed and the movie began playing in the distance. As soon as the first note rang out, Blake's eyes turned to her, wide and mouth open just slightly. "Yang, you took me to see Star Wars?" she asked, her voice just a little louder than normal.

"Yeah! I noticed you had the whole collection the last time I went to your house, like two weeks ago. So, I figured you should go see the new one." She chuckled and added, "I guess you can't hide the fact that you're a total nerd."

In the darkness, her smile seemed to shine. "You really are a good date."

The opening credits began to roll. Yang had seen all of the Star Wars before, but if she had to be frank, she couldn't remember the majority of it. Her father really enjoyed the series, as did Ruby, but she always filled her head with thoughts of sports and her friends. She loved being out and about, not being stuck inside. And yet, like silence, she found it alright with Blake. The girl paid attention to the movie. Yang tried. Really, honest to goodness, she really did try. But after twenty minutes had lapsed and she had already forgotten what the main character's name was, she couldn't help but let her eyes follow a trail of glowing skin up to ebony locks, to small yet full lips, to light, smoldering eyes.

She must've been as obvious as she thought she would be. Sometimes Blake would look back only for Yang to act like a deer caught in the headlights, too frozen to act. After an ungodly amount of times of catching her staring, much to Yang's chagrin, Blake turned herself to face the blonde and gave a small smile.

"Is there something on my face?"

"Wha? No! No, sorry, I just… I can't focus on the movie is all." She let out a nervous laugh and kicked herself internally. _Good one, Xiao Long._

Blake arched an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Really now?"

"Oh…" Yang pretended to watch the next action scene before giving up, again. "So, you noticed I've been staring at you."

"Yeah, only after the first twenty glances." Blake giggled and Yang thought her heart would pump so fast it could burst in her chest.

 _What the Hell? Get it together. Get it together. Get it—_

"You know," she interrupted her mental thoughts, "I am really, really enjoying tonight."

"Y-yeah?" Yikes.

"Truly. I always enjoy my time with you Yang, but… No one's really asked me to be their valentine in a while. You're doing a great job."

"I am?"

"Mhmm." She sighed, running her nimble fingers through her hair. "The last time I went out for Valentine's Day was three years ago."

"Oh, you scored a boy when you were a freshman?" Yang wiggled her eyebrows.

"I'm sure you did too," she returned. "I did. His name was Adam Taurus. Back then, he was a really good person. He was three years older than me and much smarter than me in all ways, but he really took care of me. Adam was kind and gentle and we always stayed together. In a way, he almost seemed more like a mentor than a boyfriend. He helped me when I needed him, especially in school. But he was so caring. Even my father liked him. But that was three years ago."

"What happened?"

Blake hesitated, drawing in a deep breath. "He changed. People change all the time and I guess he just changed his mind. When he graduated, I hardly knew him anymore."

Yang frowned. Without thought, she held her hand, feeling each crease and line on her palm. Their fingers laced and she squeezed. "Blake, I'm sorry to hear that. I had no idea…"

She shook her head. "It's not really something I tell anyone."

"I wouldn't," Yang agreed, thinking back to her own relationships. They never did end as awfully as her last one. It made her feel sick to think about it, and since the night was going really, really well, she decided to revert her focus to the girl next to her. "You're an incredible girl."

That caught her off guard. "What?"

She didn't bother to find some eloquent way to say what she felt. "Seriously. I mean, you've taken care of me. I don't tell people about my last relationship either, but you didn't even ask me any questions. You listened to me then. You listen to me all the time. And it's not just me, y'know? I mean, you're pretty much Ruby's best friend besides me and even Weiss looks a lot happier whenever she's around you. You're just a really genuine person, y'know? I know a great person when I see one. So even if Adam is some asshole who deserted you, it's not your fault."

Somehow, she could tell that Blake had tormented herself by thinking it was. Maybe it was because Yang had gone through that same stage, that awful cycle of forgiving herself only to find some irrational reason to believe she had done something wrong. She knew it all too well, and now she knew Blake did, too.

"You're too kind," Blake dismissed her, looking back at the screen. She was definitely missing the movie, but that didn't seem to matter to her. "You just keep getting better and better."

"Huh?"

She giggled again, probably at the face the blonde was making. "You're a really good friend. I'm glad that we could enjoy our night together like this, Yang. We should do this more often. I really, really like your company."

 _I do too._

Yawning in the middle of the showing, Blake asked Yang to take her home. It wasn't because she wasn't enjoying herself, no. They had school the following morning and she wanted to watch the film in full, maybe when she wasn't so distracted. Yang was thankful for distracting her, though, because she needed to hear that. She needed to hear that she had been doing the right thing, that she enjoyed being around her, and that she was having fun. Because it all meant that she was happy, and that was Yang's primary goal of the night. Without realizing it, Yang held her hand the whole drive home, feeling the warmth of her touch and never wishing to part.

When they reached her house, Yang exited the car to walk her back to the front door.

"I had a lot of fun tonight, Yang," Blake said, climbing up the stairs.

She followed behind her. "Good! I'm glad I could give you a good night." A pause filled in where her words couldn't, the distant sound of crashing waves disturbing what would be complete silence. "Blake," she rasped in a hushed way.

"Hmm?" came her small, quiet reply.

There it was again, that tension, that burning desire that she felt so fervently on Christmas Eve that she didn't even know existed. Stepping forward, she closed the distance between the both of them. Blake took a small step back, only for her to press up against the front door. But when Yang grabbed her hand and tilted her chin up with her forefinger, she didn't move. She held her breath, anxiously waiting to see what she would do. God, she wanted to kiss her. It was like she was completely and utterly out of her wits. In a crazy way, in a stupid way, in a completely impulsive way, she slowly brought her closer and gave her a kiss on her cheek, by the corner of her lips. That was almost too close, but she couldn't bring herself to kiss her fully. Because if she did, she couldn't be sure it would be just one kiss.

"Yang…" Blake whispered, looking up at her with eyes widened.

She couldn't be sure if that look was out of fear, shock, or something else. So, withdrawing herself, she cleared her heart out of her throat and said, "Yeah, well. It's been a good night, Blake. I'll see you tomorrow."

Hastily, she got in the car and raced back, as quick as she could. If she didn't, she'd find herself back with the girl. Because for the first time in months, she realized that the ridiculous thumping of her heart, the extra hours she'd spend awake at night in thought, the times of silence and the times of laughter, those all meant one thing, one stupid damn thing.

Yang Xiao Long was in love, whether she liked it or not.

* * *

 **A/N : Hello everyone! I had so much fun writing such a sweet chapter for the bees. Things are starting to get pretty intense for those two and the people around them. **

**Again, thank you for all your support. I'm incredibly humbled to write for so many people! Please leave me some feedback so I may improve. You guys rock.**

 **-Lex**


	8. Little Black Lies

**A/N : Hello guys! Please be sure to read the note at the end. Thanks!**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight: Little Black Lies**

When Ruby suggested the four friends gather together for an evening, Blake did not expect a _board game night._

The silver-eyed girl smirked wickedly when her sister rolled a seven, landing her on _Boardwalk,_ perhaps the most dangerous property in the game of Monopoly. Grumbling under her breath, Yang handed her a large sum of the play money, passing the dice over to Blake. She had warned the blonde that she wasn't quite sure of what she was doing to begin with, but she played along anyway, knowing that at least two of them were having fun. Surprisingly, the young heiress of the Schnee Diamond Company had hardly any idea how to play or what was going on. And though she attempted to opt-out, the others, Blake included, said no, so she sat helplessly confused the whole time.

Rolling a five, she landed on the _Go To Jail_ spot and sighed.

 _Damn it._

"Haha!" Ruby moved her piece for her excitedly. "Blake Belladonna, you're back in jail!"

 _Damn it all._

"Alright Weiss, it's your turn," Yang announced as she passed the dice over to her.

Pursing her lips, she rolled and just narrowly escaped landing on Ruby's terrifying monopoly on _Park Place_ and _Boardwalk._ "I collect two hundred dollars now, right?"

"I mean, it says it on the board," Ruby chuckled, handing her two bills.

Glaring, she swiped them away from the brunette. "I just wanted to confirm!"

Blake couldn't help but smile. Seeing something Weiss was bad at put her at ease since she wasn't any better at this kind of thing. Although she didn't like board games, she dealt with them and enjoyed her time with her friends. Their presence gave the big beach house some life, filling the room with laughter and mirth. They made it seem so much less dreary, because even if Blake enjoyed being alone, she did get lonely now and then. She didn't encounter the feeling as often now that she had Gambol, but nothing could beat the company of her three closest friends. They were as interesting as they were talkative and boisterous.

Padding happily down the hallway, Gambol found her way to her owner. As Ruby took her turn, Blake gently scratched behind the small kitten's ears, eliciting a grateful mewl. The amber-eyed cat was still small, but she grew with each passing day. Lazily, she crawled into Blake's lap and closed her eyes, her black tail flicking every so often. Blake smiled. She admired the way she could lay in comfort without a care in the world. She had nothing to worry about. She was well-fed, groomed, and cozy, even if Blake spent long days at school. She had it so easy.

Guess who didn't?

As Blake landed safely on her own property, she spared a glance over to Yang. How could she be so happy all the time? She drifted away from the game, her mind running a mile a minute. They hadn't talked about Valentine's Day. Blake was unsure if she wanted to in the first place, worried that it might be too awkward and ruin their friendship somehow. She was curious, though, now more than ever, about how the girl felt. Holding hands for close friends might have been considered normal, but a kiss on the cheek—a kiss so close to her lips she wanted to _die—_ was not normal. If she just moved an inch, maybe it would be better. Or not.

Blake noticed Yang's hand running gently across Gambol's black coat, giving way for her to purr. Her fingertips brushed against the raven-haired girl's resting hand, sending chills. Yang didn't move. They stared at one another, expressions soft and tender.

Blake loved her, deeply. And yet, that prospect scared her, mostly because she couldn't tell where Yang was with her own feelings. There was still so much about the beauty that she didn't know about, even when she'd learn new things about her every day. Upon meeting Yang for the first time, Blake initially held the idea that she was a brute, powerful and dangerous. But as the seasons came and went, so did her first impressions and, eventually, her fear of the girl. Yang was everything Blake wasn't in so many aspects. Whereas Blake liked to stay alone within the shadows, Yang enjoyed the light of life and beamed with energy. She loved people, soaking in their company, establishing connections almost instantly. She even learned to love the difficult Weiss Schnee just because she cared so much. She was compassionate. She was generous. She was kind.

But most of all, Yang Xiao Long was incredibly warm. She had the most searing eyes Blake had ever seen, whether they were lilac or crimson. She couldn't believe her when she had mentioned that her eyes could change color—and they would every time she'd get seriously pissed off. Still, her eyes reminded Blake that no matter how fiery her personality, she would never burn her. One might expect someone so fierce to handle each relationship in a rough, scathing manner. But that wasn't the case with Yang. She might've been someone else to others, but to Blake, she was always the same. She was always gentle, always patient, always loving. Her eyes reminded her of that every time.

That was what she loved about her the most.

"Yang, what're you doing over there?" Ruby questioned her, giving her a sideways tilt of her head and a confused face.

Blake realized that Yang looked rather suspicious with her hand in her lap. The table obscured the lower half of the two from Ruby and Weiss. Picking up Gambol, she held her up for them to see. The poor animal yawned, obviously tired and woken from her peaceful slumber. "She was petting the cat."

"Did you think I was doing something naughty?" Yang quipped, trying to gross her sister out.

Weiss rolled her eyes as she passed the dice over to the girl. "I wouldn't put it past you."

"Aww c'mon, you know I only do that kinda thing behind closed doors!" Yang pleaded, moving her piece a few spaces. Horrified, Ruby groaned and shook her head, probably wishing she was deaf. Blake felt bad for her, knowing that Yang found humor out of her pain. The elder of the two laughed and added, "It's a joke, Rubes. It's a joke."

Blake wondered if…

"Say…" Yang snickered as Blake paid Weiss a few dollars in rent. "Weiss, you can speak French, right?"

She looked up slowly from the board and arched a brow. "You know I can. Why?"

"Well, they say French is the language of _romance._ I'm sure you're good at it because you've practiced so much, yeah? What kind of sexy things do you say? You've got ways of getting Neptune to really get that _la passion_ on, right?" Yang wiggled her eyebrows and sent a wink over, not knowing a lick of French.

There were many things Weiss did not do, like blushing. But at that remark, she turned a deep shade of red and sent a pillow flying to Yang. It nearly missed Blake. "One more word out of you, Yang, and I'll kill you."

"In French?"

"Whoa, wait, Weiss," Ruby gasped, "You do that kinda stuff?!"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she looked so upset she might have emitted steam. "You're _all_ insufferable…" Blake counted down until she'd snap. One. Two. Three. "Do I _look_ like I have the time? Do I come off as the type of person to do that?" she hissed angrily between gritted teeth.

"Okay, chill out, Ice Queen," Yang laughed, mostly at herself for her ridiculous play on words. "I'm just playing with you. We all know you keep Iceland private!"

"You guys are weird…" Ruby muttered and put down some new houses on her property.

Weiss grumbled and poked her. "You're the one who thinks I'm promiscuous!"

Blake grinned, taking pleasure in the scene before her. Months ago, Ruby and Weiss couldn't even be in the same room together. But, of course, Yang had a way of warming people up to one another. Honestly, they'd be great friends if they spent more time around each other. She was glad that they could talk to one another now, maybe even call each other friends. They really weren't so different from each other after all. In fact, they complemented each other rather well.

"Hey Blakey?" Yang turned to her. "You can speak French, yeah?"

She felt the corners of her lips twitch upwards. "A little bit."

"She's in my French class, you dolt," Weiss sighed. "Of course she can."

"Thanks, _Blakey_ , for answering my question," the girl sniggered. "Can you say something?"

She chuckled. "What do you want me to say?"

"Anything!"

In her best French, Blake simply said, "My name is Blake. The cow goes moo."

Ruby's eyes widened in amazement, causing Blake to restrict herself from losing it completely. "Blake, that's so cool!"

"Ugh, boner," Yang groaned, putting in a new house on _Indiana Avenue._ "Seriously, you've gotta teach me some."

But before Blake could protest and explain that she had said the _dumbest_ sentence she could muster, Weiss cut in. "Perhaps you could learn some French _behind closed doors._ " She let out a _ha_ and added, "After all, you seem so interested in speaking the language of romance so fluently."

Glancing over at Yang, Blake did her best to maintain her composure, blood rushing up her neck and face. She racked her brain to try to come up with something, but found nothing. So she gawked, stupidly, at Weiss, who sent her her most brazen smile. She was going to have to find a way to get back at her. Yang, out of her embarrassment, jolted and excused herself to go grab a glass of water. Was she blushing? Obviously Weiss was joking. All of a sudden, Blake's previous, unanswered questions ran through her head. Did she do that kind of stuff? Has she done that kind of stuff before? Would she want to if it—

 _No, Blake, stop it! Stop thinking about her like that! Stop!_

"Since we're talking about European languages…" Ruby changed the topic, probably noticing her slight discomfort. "Did you get accepted to all those universities you applied for overseas?"

She had to think about it. "I haven't checked my mail."

"What?" Weiss glowered. "It's the middle of March! Decisions have been coming in!"

"I've been so focused on school."

"Go and check!"

Being completely honest to herself, Blake had forgotten about college. Things in high school were suddenly much more interesting than she expected, so after she had filled out the necessary applications, she put all her focus in school right now, not her form of higher-education in the future. To appease her friends, Blake got up and walked out to her mailbox. The night was cool. Some of the sunlight lingered, but off in the distance, a few clusters of stars twinkled. She opened the box to find some letters sitting and wondered how long they'd been there. She didn't check her mail as often as she should have.

Pulling the mail out, she observed six letters, surprised all of them arrived at about the same time in the past week. A smile found its way on her face. The decisions seemed to come out in her favor, judging by the size and thickness of the envelopes. For most of them, she could guess at her admission decision. She counted. There were the two decisions from the universities in France, three from the universities along the East Coast, and…

 _No._

 _No, please, no._

She felt her heart sink, looking at how small a particular one was in comparison to the others. She didn't even need to open it.

And just like that, her plans crumbled, the floor falling from beneath her.

She closed her eyes and told herself to push it out of her mind, at least for this night. For if there was one thing Blake could do nearly perfectly, it was to don a mask and play the part. She couldn't show this to the others. Not now, and especially not to Yang.

When she waltzed back in to her living room as cool and collected as she could be, Yang had returned as well. The blush had left her face and she had been chatting idly with her sister. Blake sat next to her and hid the letters underneath her leg. It wasn't her turn, so she looked up to her friends.

"So?" Ruby asked, excited and eager to know.

"They're all what we expected."

Yang peeked over at the ground where the letters lay obscured, curious as well. "Let's see them!"

Blake leaned away, albeit out of habit rather than out of spite. "We can talk about them later." Quickly formulating an excuse, she said, "Let's finish up this game."

"Okay!" Ruby agreed. "So, Yang, now that you've landed on Boardwalk, you owe me…"

As the two sisters continued playing the game, Blake caught Weiss' disbelieving look. She looked at her hands and frowned.

* * *

Blake really, really didn't want to deal with it. Not now, not ever.

Paying attention the following day had proven difficult. Normally, she would write down notes and listen to her instructors, pull out a book if she was finished, and pass time easily. But today, each minute seemed so unbearably long, like she was spending decades of her life at Beacon instead of a few hours. Promising Penny she would attend this week's book club meeting, she painfully stayed the extra two hours after school, trying to concentrate on the discussion. She was glad she had already read _Treasure Island,_ because if she hadn't, she wouldn't have a clue what was going on. Wishing everyone a good night, she walked out of the classroom. _I should've stayed home._

It wasn't that she wanted to be so morose throughout the day. She just couldn't help it. Calculus had been so silent this morning after Blake told Ruby she would rather not talk. The brunette, out of respect, gave her some space. Weiss borderline harassed her at lunch, even when she was scribbling away at her homework. Even Penny noticed her sour mood, her optimism and radiance failing to touch Blake at all. And Yang…

How could she talk to Yang today? Or tomorrow?

She did her best to avoid her. Unlike Yang, Blake was incredibly subtle with her actions, having mastered the skill of being apathetic and nonchalant. So while Yang tried to get her to open up, it just wasn't going to happen.

Blake paced down the hall, willing for the walk to go by quickly.

Of course, however, as life would have it, she couldn't have escaped so easily.

The clicking of heels rung in the empty breezeway, the pace and heavy footsteps belonging to only one person. Blake knew Weiss was coming her way as the sounds only increased. She had avoided her the whole day, knowing that she would bother her with questions. She could flee from her no longer. When the girl rounded the corner and met her eyes, she felt her breathing slow, almost stopping completely. She had her bag slung over her shoulder, meaning she had just finished wrapping up activities with the student council. God, why did she need to be here right now? The white-haired girl closed the distance between them.

"We need to talk."

"I don't really want to." Blake pushed past her as she strode forward towards home.

Did she really expect to get that far? Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned around. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Just let me go. It's none of your concern."

"Yes it is, Blake!" she exclaimed, voice thick with worry. "You're not running!" Letting out a small sigh, she softened, saying, "Not from me."

Pursing her lips, Blake dropped her gaze to the ground. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Want to or not, you _need_ to." Weiss kept her hand where it was. "I made a promise to tell you if something was bothering me, didn't I? Why can't you do the same?"

She didn't have an answer to that. Not verbally at least.

So, in response, her feet followed the other girl towards the amphitheater close by. Blake remembered how this was the very spot where she met Weiss, gathering back then that she was cold, cynical, and almost malicious. It was her fault that the three of them were late that day and the reason why Blake had bumped into Yang. But that collision had changed her life completely, introducing her to the person she loved the most. Yet, even the thought of her failed to brighten Blake's day. If anything, it just made everything worse. They sat down on one of the steps, silent and sullen.

It took a while before Weiss said anything. "I'm not one for comfort, as you know," she started. "But you're my closest friend. I want to know what's bothering you so much. You were acting odd last night and you've been unresponsive today."

Blake found herself staring at her hands again, the very instruments behind her own chaotic dilemma. This wasn't supposed to happen. "I don't know if I can tell you."

"Of course you can." She sounded distressed. "Don't you trust me?"

People trusted Blake. She, however, could not say that she was trusting of others. Her mistrust did not stem without reason. Over the years, the people she had come to love always found a way to leave her. Adam changed, first apologizing for the accidental welts and bruises, then finding some way to turn the abuse back onto her, as if she was the one to blame. Her friends at Atlas, who promised to keep in contact, forgot about her the minute she stepped onto Beacon. Even her parents had left her, abandoning her at the age of seventeen to figure out the rest of her life as they laid, lifeless, on the cobblestone. That wasn't their fault, of course, but it didn't help to leave her alone when there was no one else she could go to.

Everyone found a way to leave. She couldn't risk losing anyone else.

"Blake?" Weiss tried to reel her back into reality.

She looked at those precious gems, wondering what would happen if she knew. Would she care? Would she tell someone? The girl had let a few secrets slip out here and there, including her parents' death. If she told someone about this, would Blake be willing to forgive her as she had before? Every fiber of her being screamed that it was none of her business to know, that she didn't need to. But if Weiss Schnee could open herself up and show that she was lonelier than the moon—if she could expose herself and ask her for her comfort and her companionship—then Blake could trust her. She couldn't run away from her. She wouldn't.

When she finally spoke, her voice tremulous and diffident, she said, "Weiss, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone."

For once, she gave a small smile, nodding. She was not happy, but the smile had served to set Blake at ease, even just a little. "I promise."

Blake took a deep breath before recounting her story. "I heard about my parents' death in July, as you already know. My parents were entrepreneurs and worked together to build their own business. They aren't as large as others, but my parents' businesses were really focused on helping the poor. That was their passion. On an international business meeting, they flew to Italy, where a man robbed them and killed them. Since then, the business has fallen into the hands of a few, but I doubt it'll last. Without the original vision, they don't have anything to go off of. I've had to change what I wanted to do because I care more about upholding this business, this work.

"When my parents passed away, the manager of our estate gave me a letter that my mother had written for me when she was in Italy. That's where they died, of course, so the letter never found its way to me. She told me that I should apply to the colleges around the world, so that I could get a better understanding of the many peoples and cultures. I hadn't been thinking about it, but my mother seemed to really want me to go out and see something new. So in the fall, I applied to multiple colleges—colleges on the East Coast, colleges in Europe… I hadn't thought about applying to a college here, but I tried for one.

"That's why I didn't want to talk about college last night. Most of the time it hurts having to discuss the reasons for why I need and desire to go to college. I'm not just going to let my parents' hard work go to waste when they were helping to change the world, helping to make it a better place by giving hope to the oppressed. That's what I want to do. But now I don't know if I can."

"What do you mean?" Weiss leaned in, listening intently.

She frowned. "I didn't think that I was going to make a lot of friends here. My friends in Atlas stopped talking to me, so I resolved to get through this year without making too many connections. If I had to, I didn't want to form any deep relationships in the case that I'd need to sever them. When I applied to the colleges in Europe, I didn't think about you or Ruby or Yang. I really do appreciate your friendship, but I thought it would be easy to cut you all off and go back to being alone. That's why I only applied to one college in California. That's why…" She paused and swallowed thickly. "That's why I didn't want to tell you, because I'm not going to be going to school here."

It took the girl a moment to understand the gravity of the situation. "Blake, I had no idea… You… That means that they…"

"Rejected me, yes." Blake blinked, checking to see if there were tears forming. There weren't, much to her relief. "I was accepted everywhere else."

"And that means you'll…" Weiss' lips dipped into a frown, appearing dejected. "You're going to have to move again. You're going to have to start over." She let out a gasp and covered her mouth quickly, realizing exactly what Blake knew she would. "Blake, your feelings for Yang…!"

She nodded without making a sound.

Weiss didn't know what to say. And for her, who hated silence more than anything, _not_ to know what to say… "Are you going to tell Yang?"

"How could I?" Blake shook her head.

Her father had always told her maintaining friends immediately after high school would prove difficult. People moved, started their new lives, and forgot about the people they left behind. It was natural to make new friends to replace the old ones they had lost. Blake could tell Weiss was going through the same thought process, as she could read her like a book. She understood Blake and Yang were not just friends. They were not just two people who would say goodbye at graduation, never to speak again. She was sure of how they both felt, sure that they wanted to continue their friendship. But it couldn't be helped if it meant they were parting.

"I guess it's inevitable," Blake found herself saying. "I was bound to lose Yang anyway."

"What do you mean lose her? You guys can still keep in contact and maintain your friendship. You can even try a long-distance relationship. If you just tried, you could stay together," Weiss suggested. "Isn't that what you want?"

Is it?

What she wanted was for Yang to be happy, not to be tied down by obligations.

"You have time. Decision day isn't until the first of May. You can choose to stay in the East Coast. That's not as far as halfway across the world." She continued, knowing it was futile.

"It's still too far. We're not going to be able to maintain a relationship if we're far away unless we both want to. Weiss, I can't even be sure about how Yang feels. Sometimes I'm convinced she feels the same way, other times I'm not. I don't know. But what I do know is that we're going to say goodbye. I just don't know how much distance I want to put between us. I'm not willing to let my parents' dream die."

Weiss rested her head on her hand, leaning forward onto her knees. "At least you have a choice. It sounds like you have a decision to make." She steeled herself, relying on the logic of the situation. That was always her best skill, to stay rational in the face of a torrent of emotions. "As difficult as it may be, college is something necessary that we have to go through. You have to decide what you want out of your relationship with Yang. If you want it to be more than what it already is, you're going to have to work for it, whether you stay in the country or if you study abroad. It's possible, but you know it will be difficult. After all, Yang was expecting you to attend the same college, or at least be within the area."

Yeah. Unrealistically, Blake had been relying on that, too.

"Nevertheless, you should tell her."

"No." Blake closed her eyes. "I can't hurt Yang. If I tell her, she'll be upset and she won't understand."

"She _will_ understand," Weiss countered. "You know her, Blake. Yang wouldn't ever—"

"She _won't!_ " Blake found herself yelling, lashing out without a bit of self-control. "Because no one ever understands me or the decisions I make, Weiss! Yang won't believe me, and if she does, she won't forgive me! _You_ don't even understand! How could you ask me to tell her?!"

With her hands balled up into fists, she struggled to stay calm. She cursed at herself as soon as she finished screaming, not realizing that she had stood up.

Sapphire orbs stared up at her, wide and unbelieving. Blake had snapped at her.

Deflated, Weiss looked away. The deafening silence lingered over them for a while before she spoke again. She whispered, "The only way Yang wouldn't forgive you is if you hide secrets and lie to her."

Blake's lips parted for her to speak, but she couldn't make a sound. She didn't know what to say.

In one fluid motion, Weiss rose and wrapped her arms around her torso. She was the shorter of the two, small enough that she could tuck her head under Blake's chin. That's where she stayed, her grip secure and tight. Blake stood stiff for a few seconds before returning the gesture and ducking her head so that she felt silk against her cheek. Weiss had never hugged her before. Not like this.

"I'm sorry," Blake apologized. "I really don't know what to do right now."

"I understand." Weiss closed her eyes. "Whatever decision you make, Blake," she mumbled against her shoulder, "just now that I'll support you, here or across the sea." She pulled away, her lips neither forming a smile nor a frown. "We'll either be separated or together, since I also have to choose between studying here or abroad. But wherever you are, wherever I am, I'll always be your friend." She drew a deep breath and said something so courageous, so unlike her, that Blake almost needed her to repeat it. "I-I… love you," Weiss stammered, the words so unfamiliar and foreign on her tongue. "I owe at least that much to you."

Blake finally let herself cry. As the flowers bloomed and the trees found new life, March seemed to be a reflection of January, only now that the roles had been reversed.

Somehow, the cold and callous Ice Queen had made her melt. And it was more than necessary.

* * *

 **A/N : Hello everyone! I have a bit of a long note for this chapter. I want to apologize for the wait time for this update. You might not have known, but I'm entering university this coming fall. I had my orientation this week, which definitely took time away from writing. So sorry!**

 **A little note about this chapter and the next few: It's a little shorter than the previous chapters and much more dramatic (obviously). It only gets darker from here. As you know, this fic is rated "T." You've already seen some reasons for why, but there will be certain aspects that you have to use your own discretion before reading. I'll include some warnings in an author's note before you read. It's not so cute and fluffy anymore. But fret not! There are great things planned for this story and I'm excited for you all to see it through to the end.**

 **Thank you guys again for being amazing readers and reviewers. Please continue to leave reviews! I've been touching this story up thanks to your feedback. I want to know how I'm doing. Please be patient with me as I start up classes soon. Thank you guys!**

 **-Lex**


	9. Seashells and Sandcastles

**Chapter Nine: Seashells and Sandcastles**

Blake woke to Gambol carrying out her Sunday morning ritual.

Her eyes fluttered open to see the cat sitting on top of her chest. Since Blake usually got out of bed as soon as she woke on weekday mornings, Gambol didn't get to do this most of the time. But, on Sundays, when she'd laze around in bed for an indefinite amount of time, she was always stirred by the feeling of the kitten trying to get her attention. She didn't mind it much, since she needed to wake up anyway. Smiling sleepily, she acknowledged her pet with a scratch behind her ears. In response, Gambol purred and pawed at her cheek, as if to say hello. Blake mumbled something, still trying to wake. Through the open window, rays of sunlight creeped in and illuminated the room, signaling that dawn had long passed. Turning her head to the side, Blake was surprised to see that it was nine o'clock, hours past when she'd usually get up. She glanced back to Gambol and arched a brow.

"You're later than usual."

 _Meow!_

Slowly, Blake sat up, setting her cat over to the side gently. She stretched, slid her legs off the edge of the bed, and made her way to the bathroom. Effortlessly pulling off the sash at her waist, she slipped out of her yukata and turned the water on, waiting for it to get sufficiently warm. Somehow, showers always helped her to wake up and gave her some time to think about each day. The hot water steamed around her, hitting her back and running down her skin. Blake let out a soft sigh of relief, making quick work of washing her hair.

Her thoughts carried her back to the previous week. After Weiss had gotten the truth out of her last Monday, Blake did her best to act as normal as she could be. While the majority of the seniors at Beacon were celebrating and sharing where they would be going for the next four years, she took care to only mention that she was still in the process of deciding. Although the student body could be considered amicable and friendly, rumors still spread around like flies. She couldn't risk Ruby, Yang, or anyone else besides Weiss knowing about the results. In her heart, she knew that her friends had the right to know what was going on.

But Blake could keep little black lies for a while, so she would. And when it was time, she'd tell them.

The hardest part of last week was pretending to be normal in front of Yang. Blake knew it was wrong, but she couldn't handle the idea of telling her and having to face her. Something inhibited their relationship from growing—whether that was her dishonesty or the lack of clarity over Yang's feelings, she couldn't really be sure. They were both withholding vital information, it seemed. A few times she tried to convince herself that she was simply being melodramatic and that Yang, as her friend, as the person she loved the most, needed to know. Parting after high school was normal. If they wanted to stay friends, then they'd try, right?

And yet, even after thinking it through, Blake held to her decision of keeping her secrets. She was depending on Yang's inability to perceive the small things like that. She couldn't handle the idea of losing her sooner than she needed to.

Blake turned off the shower and squeezed the water out of her hair. Stepping out, she wrapped her black bath robe around her and finished up her morning routine. Throughout the night, she had worked up an appetite and felt hungrier than usual since she had gotten up later. Gambol followed her down the hallway and into the kitchen, where Blake started to prepare her breakfast. Noticing that the animal was pawing at her ankles, Blake refilled her food and water bowl. After breakfast, she'd work on some of her homework, read a book, and finally, _finally_ watch that last season of The Vampire Diaries. Nothing was going to get between her and Ian Somerhalder. Nothing. That was how her Sunday was going to work out.

So, naturally, when she heard the ringing of the door bell, she groaned and almost allowed herself to leave it unanswered.

 _It's Sunday. And it's nine in the morning._ Hardly anyone ever came to visit her, much less at such a strange hour. When she pulled the door towards her, however, blonde hair, a lopsided grin, and lilac orbs greeted her.

For once in her life, Yang was the last person she wanted to see at her doorstep.

"Yang?" Incredulous, she blinked twice. "What are you…"

"Hey Blakey!" Yang beamed. Adorned by a pair of daisy dukes and a loose-fitting, yellow tank top, she made Blake feel incredibly self-conscious. _She could wear rags and still look pretty._ Her purple eyes scanned her up and down. "Uh."

Suddenly, the raven-haired girl was very aware that she wasn't wearing anything under the robe, which exposed a great deal of skin as it was already. A blush crept up her neck and threatened to show on her cheeks. Why, why, _why_ was Yang here, right now? Summoning all of her courage, she asked, "Do you want to come in? I'll get dressed." That was the polite thing to do, right?

"Nah, nah," she waved. "Actually, I'm here to pick you up!"

"What?"

Yang smirked, her arms out akimbo. "Don't you know what day it is today?"

She had to think. There was nothing going on today. "It's Sunday, April 3rd."

"It's spring break, baby!" Yang shouted, throwing her hands up before placing them on the door frame.

Blake's eyebrows drew together. "So?"

Yang dropped her hands and pushed her bangs back, a chuckle leaving her lips. "Ruby and I thought we could get all of our friends together and head out to the beach. It's supposed to be really hot today! And since you're not doing anything, we figured we'd invite you. Not that we wouldn't if you were busy, of course." Yang's radiant smile was so contagious, it made Blake smile too.

"A beach day?" Blake hummed, thinking about what she had to do. "We still have homework over the break."

"Blake, you can't stay at home all week." Yang squatted to pet Gambol, who ran up to her excitedly. "You gotta get out, see the sun! Play in the water!"

"Yang," Blake sighed, crossing her arms. "I know I live by the ocean, but I'm not really one for water."

"Oh come on. I bet I could get you wet, if y'know what I mean." Yang sent over a diabolical wink. Blake turned a deep shade of red, her blood racing through her veins furiously. Hiding her face, she looked away while the blonde bursted and enjoyed a good laugh. "I'm just kidding, Blakey. What do you say?"

She looked again at that infectious grin one more time and knew her answer before she could think of the consequences. Jesus, she hated how much she loved this girl. Her blush fading, Blake sighed and nodded, defeated. "Yeah. I'll be right back."

* * *

Sure enough, it had gotten warmer as the day wore on. By noon, it was already 87 degrees.

Blake never really enjoyed extremely hot weather, taking better to a milder climate. To shelter herself from the blazing sun, she sat underneath Ruby's large beach umbrella, a book laying in her lap. Although she didn't particularly enjoy swimming (or other water activities), she could appreciate the crashing of the powerful waves and the sense of peace it brought, washing over her completely. While Ruby, Weiss, and Jaune waded off in the distance, Pyrrha and Yang had taken to a game of beach volleyball, facing off against Nora and her boyfriend, Ren. It didn't bother Blake that she was left alone, since it gave her time and space to completely immerse herself in _The Life of Pi._ Somehow, she felt that she was floating away on her own small boat.

Occasionally, her eyes would travel upwards and linger on Yang. She watched the way she leapt to spike the ball, her blonde hair flowing all about her. Her ears would pick up on her joyful laughter, and without looking, she could _feel_ that beautiful smile on her face. In more ways that one, Blake was amazed by the girl. In her mind, Yang, like the sun, was meant to be adored and revered. She devoted a few minutes to watch her, hoping that no one would catch her in her reverie.

Her mind wandered away from the tiger in the boat and to the manifestation of sunshine just a few hundred feet away. Blake put her finger on the page where she was on, knowing that she wouldn't be able to focus. How many times did she have to tell herself that she loved Yang, wholly, completely? She had never felt this way towards anyone before, not even Adam. It frightened her. It scared her because it meant sacrifice, loss, and vulnerability—all things that Blake avoided at nearly all costs. After years of losing everything that ever meant anything to her, she figured she could render herself incapable of loving anything else. But just looking at her favorite person, her closest friend, made her realize that there was no helping it. She loved her.

And if love meant having to be honest, she just wished she didn't love her at all. For as far from Blake's character as it was for her to lie, she couldn't bring herself to tell the whole truth, and that was lying by its definition.

When she tried to go back to her book, Blake felt a tap on her forehead.

To her surprise, Weiss approached her. The snow angel arched a delicate brow and stood with a hand on her hip. Beads of water clung to her skin, her white hair damp in some places and dry in others. Fittingly, she wore a light gray halter top with a matching skirted bottom. For someone so cold and aloof, she seemed to be enjoying the hot, spring day. In a scolding voice, she said, "Don't tell me you're going to sit there this whole time."

"I have been," Blake remarked dryly, closing her book. She wouldn't be able to read now. "What would you rather have me do?"

"Save me from my misery. I've been around Ruby and Jaune for ages," she groaned as she casted a look back at the two. "They're insufferable."

Blake chuckled. "Then why are you spending time around them? Weiss, you know that I don't really like water."

"I'm well aware." She rolled her eyes. Stubbornly, she persisted, asking "Will you come out there? Please?"

"You could just sit here, away from them, instead of dragging me over there."

"Blake, please?" she repeated.

Blake shook her head, although a small grin found its way on her face. _She's such a princess._ "Sure."

Placing her book on her chair, Blake followed the girl out to the ocean. It was a lovely day for the beach, with only a few clouds to mar the otherwise clear, blue sky. In the distance, palm trees swayed as the gentle breeze from the sea blew past, carrying the scent of sea salt. Blake dipped a toe in the water, judging that it was warm enough, and joined the three. Ruby regarded her affectionately with a hug and Jaune nodded. Blake hadn't spent enough time around the young man to truly discern his character, but she knew that he must've been something special if Pyrrha Nikos chose him to be her significant other.

"Hey, Blake!" Ruby smiled, a wave hitting all four of them and pushing them a bit back to shore. "I didn't think you'd come out to play!"

"Well…" She nodded over to Weiss, who had her arms crossed and her lips in a pout.

"I'm glad you could join us, Blake." Jaune commented, his grin lopsided. His golden hair fell over his face, water dripping off the tips and onto his chin. The blue eyes his bangs hid away contrasted greatly from the blue Blake was accustomed to seeing. In a way, his eyes seemed kinder than Weiss', although it wasn't hard to be nicer than the Ice Queen.

"Be quiet, you!" Weiss snarled, sending a splash of water over to him.

And, just like that, they started a war.

Jaune, after his initial moment of shock, sent his hand flying to hit the surface of the water, covering the heiress with the saltwater. Ruby joined him shortly after, getting a girlish squeal out of Weiss. Were they seriously having a water fight? Trying hard to avoid them, Blake made her way to shore, until she felt an ungodly amount of water fall on her head. Whipping around, she found Ruby cackling as the last drops of water escaped from her hand. "Gotcha!"

So, this was how they were going to play.

Without a shred of mercy, Blake launched herself forward and pushed Ruby. Silver eyes widened in horror when she realized she was losing her balance. Blake allowed herself a mischievous, wicked smirk, until she felt Jaune do the same to her. Crashing rather ungracefully, Blake let out a yelp as she found herself submerged. She got up quickly and caught sight of Weiss running away from Ruby. So much for her help. Blake locked eyes with the blonde boy again before taking both hands, scooping up water, and throwing it directly at his face. He shook his head after the impact and let out a hearty laugh.

After five or so minutes of this horseplay, the four formed a choir of chortling and giggles. Blake allowed herself to laugh too, shaking out her hair of the water. In the distance, she could see Yang and Pyrrha celebrating their apparent win over Nora and Ren, jumping up and sharing a high-five. Briefly, lilac orbs found Blake's gold. Yang sent a flash over to the girl, so kind and so lighthearted. Blake waved at her, feeling her cheeks warm, and not from the sun. How she could let herself be so star-struck every time Yang looked at her, she didn't know.

When lunch time had come and the group had split up, again, Blake fancied sitting next to Weiss, as the heiress usually went through her lunch without sparing a word. The two ate their food under the shade of the umbrella, Blake happily munching on her tuna sandwich while Weiss forked at her garden salad. The rest of the company had either chosen to eat later or had already finished their food and continued their activities. Jaune, Nora, and Ren were out walking along the beach, while Yang and Pyrrha had stayed behind at the local burger joint. Ruby had just finished collecting shells and made her way over to the two.

"Guys, look!" Ruby sat in front of the two and spilled the contents in her hands. Dozens of different shapes and sizes of shells lay on the golden san.

Leaning forward, Blake inspected the findings, taking up a sand dollar. Of course, the animal had died and left its shell, something beautiful and collectible.

Weiss eyed each shell carefully and continued to eat her salad. "Are these all you found in the hour you were gone?"

"No, silly," Ruby smiled, ignoring her slight. "I found a lot more, but they're over there, where I'm building my sandcastle! You've built a sandcastle before, right?"

"Of course," Blake answered. She couldn't count how many times she had with her parents in the past. They had built one on this same beach years ago.

Weiss forked a piece of lettuce and observed it before taking a bite. "No."

Blake and Ruby exchanged a quick look at each other before turning to her. "Are you serious?" Ruby asked, holding in a snicker.

"What?" Weiss arched a brow and continued to chew. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Uh, duh!" Ruby laughed. "I can't believe you have never made one! Do you want to help me with mine?"

"Don't be ridiculous," the white-haired girl replied with a disturbing amount of indifference. "I don't care about yours."

Blake saw the way Ruby frowned and cut in. "You should build one, Weiss. You seem to have a knack for architecture anyway."

She sent her a sideways glance. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's really satisfying," Blake testified. "You could build a gothic sandcastle, since you're so interested in it."

"That would take forever. And it sounds stupid."

"Well…"

Ruby stood and showed them that cheery smile. "Seriously, Weiss, let's go build a sandcastle!"

After letting out a huff, Weiss put down her finished salad and crossed her arms. "I don't know how to."

"I could show you, y'know. It's really not that hard."

Weiss sent Blake another pleading look, but Blake didn't buy it this time. Besides, the last time she had given in to her request, she had gotten herself into a water fight. Smiling coyly, Blake nudged her. "Go."

"Honestly, both of you are incorrigible." Gracefully, she got up from her seat and walked towards the water.

Ruby giggled and turned her head to send a wink at Blake. Weiss continued without her. "You always manage to get her to do things she hates doing."

"Melting the Ice Queen seems to be my specialty," Blake quipped.

"Hmm, I thought Neptune was supposed to do that." Ruby smiled. "Do you wanna join us?"

"No," Blake shook her head and held up her book. "I want to get through this before we run out of daylight."

"Oh, you and your many books." Ruby turned her back to her and took a few steps forward before whipping back around. "Hey Blake?"

Silver met gold. "Yeah?"

Ruby's usually confident grin turned into something more timid, something almost fragile. "Do you… Do you think you could talk to Yang sometime?"

Blake's eyebrows furrowed. "Is something wrong?"

"N-no, no." Ruby dragged her foot on the sand, tracing a small circle around her while she placed her hands behind her back. "It's just… I've noticed that you two haven't really been talking all that much. Yang's been wondering about it, actually. But I think you should probably just talk to her about it."

Blake felt her heart skip a beat and tried not to look as deflated as she felt. "Alright. Where is she?"

"Oh! Uh. She's still with Pyrrha at the burger place, I think. Just talk to her afterwards. I think they're talking about something serious."

Blake swallowed thickly before replying. "Alright."

It was time. No more running.

* * *

 _Damn._

That was the word that ran through Yang Xiao Long's mind the whole day.

After their date on Valentine's Day, she made it a goal to stare at Blake in a much more subtle way, as if that was possible. Little did that girl know that she served as a huge distraction to Yang when she played against Ren an Nora. If it wasn't for Pyrrha, they probably would have lost. Blake wasn't even doing anything! She was sitting there, cross-legged, a book in her lap, never looking up to meet Yang's eyes. She appeared tranquil and serene as she read. Yang never understood how she had that much patience to go through a book at such an exciting place. Beaches had sand, and sand meant volleyball. She couldn't just sit and read when there was so much to do. She wished Blake wasn't such a damn goddess for her to marvel at.

At some point during the second set, Yang noticed that Blake had made her way out into the ocean to splash around with Ruby, Weiss, and Jaune, wearing nothing but that cursed, black triangle bikini. She tried to restrict herself from looking over at her, because if she did, it meant she wasn't focusing on the game in front for her. She had to admit—volleyball was her thing. But Blake? She'd drop everything if it meant spending time with her. Thus, seeing her in something so revealing, so _damn sexy_ , and not being able to do anything about drove her crazy, absolutely crazy.

She didn't know how many times she heard her think the word _damn_ or how many times she muttered it under her breath.

Pyrrha put down her empty glass, and asked, "So, Yang, what is it you needed to talk to me about?"

Yang sighed and ran both hands through her hair, elbows resting on the table. In front of them sat the remains of their huge, greasy burgers. The others had left them in peace after Yang requested Pyrrha's audience, alone. "God, Pyrrha. I've got it bad."

"Got what?"

"You know what," Yang answered, peering up to see her.

The redhead was slow to decipher her encrypted message. "I'm sorry, I'm confused. Are you in love?"

"Yes!" Yang groaned and pressed her head to the table. "Yes, damn it."

A few seconds passed before Pyrrha let out a mirthful laugh. "Oh, Yang. I'm sorry. I just realized what that entailed." She smiled affectionately. "Is it Blake?"

Yang nodded, saving her breath.

"Oh my," Pyrrha stifled another giggle. "Yang, you're—"

"Gay? Bi? Something, yes, not straight, I don't know, I just, I…" She groused and hit her head on the table a few times. "Pyrrha!"

"I'm sorry," she apologized and patted her head. "How long have you liked her?"

Miserably, the girl lifted her head up and sank into the chair. "I dunno," she sighed. "Since… like, Valentine's Day. I almost kissed her."

Pyrrha's emerald eyes widened and so did her smile. "Really now? What stopped you?"

"I…" Yang bit her lip. "I couldn't be sure I could really keep myself in check, y'know?" Just thinking about it made her stomach twist. Would she have stopped her if she kissed her? Did she want Yang to kiss her, too? These questions ate at her the more she thought about them.

"That's commendable," Pyrrha remarked. "I think it takes a great deal of self-control to hold back like that."

"Yeah, well…" Yang grumbled and looked out of the window. Outside, groups of other teens passed by, enjoying the sun and all the beach had to offer for them. She wished she could be so carefree, but this had been bothering her for quite some time now. "I don't know what to do."

"Does she know how you feel?"

"No. I mean. Maybe. I don't know." Yang mustered her courage to look Pyrrha in the eye. She always had this way of getting the truth out of everyone she encountered. "I honestly don't know."

"Perhaps you should clear the air, then." The redhead stirred the ice cubes in her glass with her straw. "She may think that you're being a bit hesitant and that may worsen the situation."

"How do you even…" The blonde scratched her head. "What if she doesn't feel the same way?"

Tilting her head, Pyrrha asked, "Can you be sure that she doesn't?"

Could she? If Blake didn't, then they wouldn't have had that awkward, horribly strange moment at Christmas. She wouldn't hold Yang's hands. She wouldn't linger around all the time. She wouldn't help her with her homework. There were many things she wouldn't do.

"I…" Yang had no reply to that.

"Yang," Pyrrha started, her voice gentle and calming. "It seems to me that the best option for you is to tell her how you feel and ask her how she feels. That will put you two on the same page and avoid complications."

"I'm going to get my ass hurt again. I don't do this kind of stuff, Pyrrha…"

Reaching out, she held Yang's hands in her own and gave them a squeeze. "You can't be wrong if it's the truth, Yang Xiao Long."

 _Just tell the truth, Yang._

It occurred to her just then that Pyrrha Nikos would probably make the greatest mom known to mankind. She was, without question, the most maternal of all her friends. She even reminded her of Summer Rose and her own, special kind of kindness. But more than anything, she was old in the soul, and in a good way, the way moms are to their children. There were many wise people in Yang's life, but she was certainly one of the wisest. "Are you being for real, Pyrrha?"

"Yes. Truly."

Was it worth the risk? That was the question that always begged to be answered. Was Blake worth it? She had placed her bets before and had only managed to get a small winning before losing it all again and that was one person. That was _him._

"Yang?"

Pyrrha's voice almost startled her. She looked up.

"Do you know how Jaune and I fell in love with each other?"

She had heard the star-athlete tell many people (mostly strangers) about how the peculiar union came to be, but she wanted to hear it again anyway. "Of course."

"Then you know, as well as I do, that things are not always so linear. He was, by all means, not really my type. I always imagined that I would be paired with someone much different, maybe someone more like me. But destiny has its interesting ways with our lives. No matter how many times Jaune tried for different girls, my goodness," she paused here to laugh, "even _Weiss,_ he always found his way back to me. And I realized that love is not always as it seems, like many other things in life.

"So, perhaps it is your destiny, perhaps it isn't, to be with Blake. You will know in time. But for now, if this is how you feel, then you ought to do something about it. I know that you're worried and you're scared, more than anything, but that's just what love is. I know you too well. You're too courageous and fearless _not_ to be in love."

For reasons unknown, Yang felt tears well up in her eyes. They threatened to run down her cheeks, so she quickly dabbed at them with a napkin and grinned at Pyrrha. She knew she could always talk to her. "Pyrrha, you're the best."

The invincible girl smiled, sincere, genuine, and true. "I'm glad I could help."

* * *

Yang needed to talk to her. That was that. She just needed to talk to her. It didn't matter anymore, her pride, or the fact that she could get completely rejected, or that she would probably look like a complete idiot trying to say things she didn't know how to convey. None of that mattered. Later in the day, when she noticed Blake sitting alone once again, she took her chance.

 _Deep breaths, Xiao Long._

 _Lots of those._

 _Play it cool. Act normal. Act completely normal._

 _Keep it cool._

From behind her, Yang carefully brought her hands over the brunette's eyes, obscuring her view completely. Maybe she'd be more inclined to join her if she offered a little bit of fun. Blake dropped the book into her lap and touched the fingers that randomly appeared in front of her.

"Ruby?" Blake questioned. When she heard no answer, she asked, "Yang?"

"Darn," the blonde giggled. "How'd ya know?"

Blake turned around and showed her that lovely, graceful smile. That was the first time she'd seen her smile like that in a week or more. "No one else would try that on me."

"Aww." Yang leaned over on the chair, feeling her heart start to race. She momentarily forgot what she was going to say next. _Keep it cool._ "You wanna go on a walk?"

 _Damn it._ That wasn't quite what she wanted to say, but it came out anyway.

Her confusion must've shown, for Blake arched her brow. "A walk?"

"Uh. Yeah!" She answered lamely. "On the beach, of course, romantic y'know?" She willed herself to shut up right then and there. If she was going to talk, she didn't want to sound so stupid.

The girl pondered and Yang thought she'd say no. To her mild surprise, however, Blake closed her book and stood, stretching out her limbs. "I might enjoy a walk."

Yang smiled, walking over to where the sea kissed the land. In ten or so minutes, the sun would begin its descent, and the air already began to cool. She was glad that they could be left alone during her favorite time of the day. Nothing could beat these Californian sunsets. The water ran over their feet and around them, tiny shells washing up only to be swept back in by the waves. Then, Yang felt something small and warm in her hand. She realized it was Blake's own hand, smaller and much softer than hers. This connection, which seemed so simple to everyone else, felt electrifying to Yang. She didn't want to let go. Lacing their fingers without a second thought, she continued. They walked in silence for a while.

"When was the last time you were here in Cali?" Yang asked.

"Two years ago," Blake answered, looking at the small coastal ornaments by their feet. "I came here with my parents."

"Right." She knew that. She didn't know why she asked. "These sunsets are pretty incredible. You're so lucky you get to see them everyday at your house."

"Indeed," Blake nodded. "But you should see the Boston sunrises. Those are just as nice."

"Really?" Yang stopped walking and raised her eyebrows. "I've never been to Boston, y'know."

"Well, when you want to travel, I suppose you'll have your own personal tour guide." Blake's lips curved just slightly into a wan smile, sending Yang's heart to cloud nine.

Whether it was because she was rendered incapable of walking or because of something else, Yang sat down on the sand. Blake joined her, their hands remaining together. Now, the sun started to come to the ocean, its rays performing a most dazzling dance on the surface. The waves crashed a few feet in front of them, the water crawling up and just barely reaching their toes.

"Blake," Yang said just above a whisper, her eyes remaining in front of her. "Are you happy? With how your life is going?"

The girl turned her head to her. "Of course. I couldn't be happier."

"Why is that?"

A pause. "Well, I really like Beacon. It's completely different from Atlas. I have Ruby and Weiss and I've been able to enjoy school much more. And I have you."

Yang looked over at her and took in the way the reds and oranges and yellows made her skin glow. Her ebony locks fell in light waves down her shoulders and back. With the day coming to a close, the way the sky reflected in her eyes intensified her cool, collected demeanor. How she could remain so poised right now, Yang couldn't understand. She felt anxious, nervous, and everything but calm, especially with the little space between them.

"You have me?" she asked, her mind going back to the present conversation.

Blake's cheeks flushed red, or maybe that was just the sun and its funny tricks. "You've been a really good friend."

 _Friend._ Usually, that word wouldn't hurt so bad. "Right. You have too. I'm really glad that things are… good with you. You really deserve to be happy."

"What about you?" Yang felt Blake lean her head on her shoulder, noticing how some stray strands tickled her jaw. "Are you happy?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

They sat like that as the sun came down and met with the sea. There was a burning sensation in Yang's chest, something she hadn't encountered in a while. She knew exactly what it was. It was that heavy feeling of needing to speak, mixed with the fear of not knowing how to properly say what she was thinking. She wished she had Pyrrha's gift of being well-spoken and sensitive in scenarios like this. When it came to confessing anything, Yang was as charismatic as a talking dog.

"Say, Blake," she started, "Do you like anyone?"

She felt the girl stiffen and her fingers detangle themselves from hers. "Why do you ask?"

Turning to her, she followed up. "I'm curious. I'm your friend and I just felt that I should know, y'know?"

Blake averted her eyes, looking instead to the open waters in front of them. "I…"

 _God, there you go again, blowing it._ Yang frowned. "Look, if you're uncomfortable answering the question, then you really don't need to answer. I should've considered how felt, Blake. I'm so—"

"Do _you_ like someone?" Blake suddenly turned the question on her.

Her breath caught in her throat and Yang thought she'd burst out into a fit of laughter because she didn't know what else to do. Steadying herself, she shifted onto her side so that she could face her directly. "What do you mean?"

"Just that," she replied. "Do you like someone?"

"Er…" She coughed. "Why does it matter?"

"Yang, I'm your friend, too."

Mustering her courage, she lifted her eyes from the small little shells to Blake, lilac meeting gold. They had looked at each other like this before, but somehow, it felt so much harder to maintain the stare. It felt as though Blake were staring into her soul. Yang swallowed dryly and parted her lips to speak, finding trouble for a few seconds. "I don't know how to answer that, Blake."

"What do you mean?"

She felt herself smile, although it was short-lived. "I might."

Blake blinked twice. "So, you do like someone."

"Maybe I do. Anyway." Pulling herself back together, Yang shook her head. "You never answered my question."

"I'm afraid we'll have a lot of unanswered questions if we don't learn how to answer each question that's been posed," Blake mused.

Cleverly, she leaned closer and winked. "So, that would mean you'd have to answer my question first! Do you like someone?"

Blake dropped her eyes. "Yes."

"Who is it?" Yang's question fell into a whisper. Blake might not have heard it, but Yang knew she did when she saw her grin.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you," she replied.

"Oh come on," Yang groaned. "You can't hide secrets like that from me."

For a split second, she thought she saw Blake hesitate, something she didn't normally do. Then, she spoke. "Yang, there's something I have to tell you. I've been meaning to but… I just haven't found the right way."

The little nuts and bolts in her brain popped all at once. "Yeah?"

"Look, Yang, I…" Blake shook her head. "It's about my future. There's… a problem."

That wasn't what she was expecting. "Like what?"

"I… Um. It's about college and our relationship. I'm not sure if I can really tell you."

"Of course you can," Yang encouraged her. "Spit it out."

Blake bit the inside of her cheek and looked away. "I don't know. I can't. Maybe if I just… I…" She normally wasn't so tongue-twisted…

Unknowingly, Yang had leaned forward more and more until there was little more than a few centimeters between their faces. All at once, she became hyper-aware of the way she was sitting. She had placed her hand by Blake's far side, the other hand on her thigh. Her skin felt soft like silk, surprising her, for she didn't know skin could feel so smooth. Was this even comfortable for the other girl? She didn't move, though. That wasn't important.

"You can tell me anything."

 _Can I do the same?_

"Can you keep a secret?" Blake whispered, her eyes slowly finding their way back up to Yang's.

Yang nodded, her heart pumping so hard it could burst. "Yes. I promise. I won't tell anyone. You can trust me."

The next sentence took a while to leave her. "Then I'll tell you. Promise?"

The words hung in the air for a while. Yang never really did fully process them before she let her head go up then down, a simple way of showing her approval. She felt a small, nimble fingers on the back of her neck and a force beckoning her forward. Her eyelids felt heavy, so she closed them. Was it traditional to seal secrets with kisses? Whether it was or not, Yang wasn't going to stop herself, or Blake for that matter. She knew kissing Blake would complicate the already muddled situation between them. Or maybe it would solve it. Twice they'd come close and she knew, more than anything, that she wanted this to happen. With nothing to see but orange, Yang felt a small bump against her nose, and that must've been Blake. She stopped breathing and waited.

She waited.

And waited.

But a familiar, high-pitched cry ripped everything from her just before she could discover for herself whether Blake's lips were as soft as she dreamed they would be. "Yang! Are you over here?"

Immediately, Yang felt the absence of that magnet that was pulling her in and opened her eyes. Not too far away, a small figure stood. It had a head of dark hair, and it was small, and then she realized it was Ruby when her eyes came back into focus. Blushing madly, Yang bolted up.

"Ruby?" she called out, watching Blake rise as well. "What's up?"

Silver eyes still wide, Ruby blinked a few times before looking at her sister and her best friend. "Sorry guys, I didn't realize you were…"

Yang's blood ran cold in her veins. _Shit. She totally got us in the middle of something._ "No, it's all good," Yang waved at her. "What's up?" she asked again, trying hard to mask the slight irritation in her voice.

But, since it was Ruby, after all, she picked up on it as though it was clear as day. "It's just, we're all leaving. It's already six o'clock. Ren and Nora have packed up their car and we're waiting on you two."

Yang looked over to where the sun should have been, but it had sunk into the water and taken with it its colorful display. Now the sky was starting to turn a little purple and darker blue. Black lingered off in the distance. Time wasn't on her side today. "Right! It's time. Sorry. We'll get going."

Ruby started without them, probably feeling guilty for having intruded at such a moment. Blake and Yang stood there, tension rendering them speechless for a while.

"Yang," Blake sighed. "I'm sorry."

Her voice surprised her. "F-for what?" she stammered.

"For… For that, and everything else."

Yang felt small, firm lips against her cheek and stared stupidly at the girl when she pulled away. Was that… "What…?"

"I'll tell you later, what I meant to tell you. I promise. Just… I'm sorry."

The words jumbled all around Yang's brain for the rest of the evening. She skipped dinner that night, not because she felt ill, but because the majority of her mental energy was spent trying to comprehend Blake's apology. Ruby had half a mind to sleep with her, but when Yang remained a bit curt throughout the duration of the time, she let her be and apologized, knowing she must have done something wrong. The blonde tried to sleep, but slumber didn't come until well past a few hours.

It wasn't until, in the dark, when she laid in bed staring up at the ceiling for the umpteenth time in her life, that she finally understood. It was in the way she apologized, the tenderness of the kiss, the hesitation, the fear that showed in those precious eyes.

Blake loved her. She could be sure.

But there was something else.

* * *

 **A/N : Hello everyone! I'm so sorry to leave you guys waiting for a much longer than normal for this newest update. I started university this last week, so I've been a bit busy as of late. I actually had to retype the majority of this chapter as well, as I felt that it wasn't good enough the first time. Hopefully you guys enjoy this update; it's longer than previous chapters.**

 **I've got good stuff planned ya'll. There will be two new POVs in the next chapter as well. Please leave a word of feedback and let me know how I did. You guys have been so helpful.**

 **Thanks, as always, for the continued support and love. Ya'll make me happy!**

 **-Lex**


	10. 1:17 AM

**A/N: Bit of a long note at the end of the chapter. Please make sure to read it when you're done!**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: 1:17 A.M.**

Two words rung in her head, over and over again, until she felt them come alive with every swing of her arm, every lunge in her step.

 _Attack it!_

 _Attack it!_

Her arm was no longer flesh and bone but a single, flexible rod of hardened steel. The sound of clashing metal seemed to her like a melody rather than random, sporadic noises. She found the rush of heat and adrenaline throughout her body to be the most euphoric feeling she'd felt in a while. She wished it could last forever. But this performance lasted only a few seconds at most. If she wasn't careful, she would lose herself and the round as well. In fact, she almost did. She nearly received a blow to her chest. But it wasn't like her to be so careless. Sidestepping, she took one stab and felt her blade kiss cotton. She stepped back, victorious.

A single cry from her coach signaled the end of the round. Gracefully, she brought her hand up to remove her mask. Strands of silvery-white hair fell across her forehead and near her eyes, despite having been tied up into a tight up-do. She steadied her breathing, forcing the staccato pants into longer, more drawn-out breaths. Standing erect with her arms by her sides, she let the old man advance towards her, his dark brown eyes searching for something she couldn't see. He'd be looking for mistakes, she knew, even after her opponent had stepped off to the side. He nodded once and folded his arms across his body.

"I think that will be all for today." The man graced her with a smile behind that unkempt, scruffy mustache of his.

She glanced at the clock. "But sir, it's not yet five o'clock."

He held up his palm, full of scratches and callouses from the many years of perfecting saber dancing. "That will be all," he repeated. "I've others to attend to." She knew not to bother him, even when he let her go an hour before she was supposed to finish.

Fencing seemed to be all she could do to clear her mind, lately. Weiss Schnee was never the type of girl to let her thoughts carry her into daydreams and wonderland, but that's where she found herself in the past few weeks. Since January, she had made it a goal to be a bit more optimistic for the sake of everyone else around her, but something was bothering her. Things were beginning to haze over her usually clear and accurate vision. She wasn't sure what this cloud could be, but it wasn't anything good if it meant it was distracting her. She would never let her grades slip, no, nor would she let herself slack on the projects she was managing. But things were starting to get harder for her. The pressure was really starting to break her back.

Jabbing and stabbing others with a non-lethal blade made her feel somewhat better. Somewhat.

As she walked out of the front exit of the training facility, which she had grown accustomed to after nearly four years of fencing practice, she caught sight of someone standing next to her Bentley. Weiss blinked a few times until her vision came in full focus. She felt her body relax when she realized who it was.

"Ruby?" she questioned, arching a brow. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Weiss," opened up the other girl. Dressed in a red hoodie and a pair of shorts, she tapped her foot against the ground. "I actually came by to see you."

Mildly surprised, the older girl let out a huff. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"You always talk about fencing practice!" Ruby's curious, silver eyes looked up and locked onto her own icy orbs. "And Yang told me you'd be here. So I thought I'd stop by. I took the bus."

"Why on Earth would you do that?" Weiss asked, walking towards her car and her… friend.

"Well, actually…" The brunette bit her lip and sighed. "I really need to talk to you."

She opened her door and set her equipment down in the backseat. "About?"

"It's about Blake and Yang."

 _What a strange notion._ Looking at Ruby, she motioned for her to get in the car.

Outside, sheets of rain fell heavily against the bay windows of her bedroom. Nature was unrelenting the past few days, sending in black clouds and the occasional lightning strike in the distance. This was good for the plants, at least, though she wasn't sure if the flowers would take kindly to the intensity of the storms.

After her shower, the young heiress brewed a fresh pot of coffee to enjoy. The day was coming to a close and her muscles ached after practice, as short as it had been. Instead of dressing herself nicely in her overpriced, fancy clothes, Weiss wore a light blue, flannel romper,—comfortable for home and, more importantly, for sleep. The appearance was much more casual than she let herself be, but somehow she felt that it would probably set Ruby at ease. Weiss sat at the nook and brought her mug to her lips, carefully blowing on the surface of the liquid so it wouldn't burn her throat. The dark taste was so exquisite on her tongue. She let out a soft puff and brought her gaze back to the girl sitting across from her. She had been sitting still in the same attitude for some time.

"Your room is extremely nice," Ruby complimented as her eyes took in the settings around her.

Weiss allowed herself to smile, even just a bit. She always kept it neat and tidy. "I do my best."

The Ice Queen had invited the girl up to her room instead of the many sitting rooms and spaces, since they seemed so dreary and much more business-like. Those were the places where her father entertained his guests and negotiated deals. In the sanctuary of her bedroom—with what little comfort it offered her—she felt that a private conversation was better suited to be held here. The maids and butlers wouldn't bother them here.

Ruby hadn't touched her cup of coffee, suggesting that she either didn't need it or didn't want it. "Thanks for taking me in."

Weiss hummed and drank. "You talk about yourself like you're a homeless rat. What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Right, Blake and Yang." The younger girl nodded to herself before she could start. "I think I ran into them doing something on the beach."

It took everything in her control not to spit out the exotic blend of Sumatran coffee. Weiss set the mug down and cleared her throat. "I beg your pardon?"

Ruby nodded and continued. "Yeah! But I don't know what was going on. I just saw Yang leaning over. They were sitting down. I dunno what it could've been. I feel super bad for interrupting whatever it was. I think Yang was pretty mad for a bit."

The words sliced through her and stupefied her for a brief moment. _The nerve of that girl_. _In public!_ She'd have to lecture Yang later. Shaking her head, Weiss pulled herself back together and asked, "You're certain of what you saw?"

"Yes, Weiss," Ruby nodded vigorously. "Positive."

She resumed drinking her coffee. "Although I feel somewhat sorry for you, I don't understand what this has to do with me. Quite frankly, I don't care too much about the monkey business they engage in, even if it's on a beach." She felt the corners of her lips dip down, knowing that she was grimacing again. In reality, she did care, but she didn't see the correlation between herself and the other two.

Ruby sat up straighter. "I don't think you understand. It means they need our help."

"What?"

"Blake and Yang need our help!" Ruby reached out to hold her hand.

Reflexively, Weiss drew back just a bit, not out of repulsion but more out of surprise. "Speak to me in plain English, Ruby Rose. What do you mean they need our help?"

"Blake and Yang really, really like each other. Can't you tell?"

Weiss glanced at the unfamiliar hand on her own but didn't bother to swat it away or move this time. "That's rather obvious."

"I know. But the problem is, they don't know that about _each other._ That's why we've got to help them _._ " Ruby gave her a squeeze.

She felt her expression turn into something skeptical. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, definitely. Every time I ask Yang about Blake, she always gets so flustered. She's been upset for a while. Haven't you noticed how they haven't been talking to each other?"

She had to think about it before she could answer that question. She'd take some time out of her own day to notice things like that. Usually. But she hadn't been herself so much in the past few weeks. Weiss shook her head. "No."

"Well… Blake's been ignoring Yang."

Something clicked. Weiss hadn't been seeing her very much either after spring break ended. Their typical coffee (or tea) dates had gotten rain-checked much more frequently under the guise that Blake had to study for finals. She was aware of where she would be, as she'd often see her in the library after school had ended if Weiss' council meetings had ran over, so she assumed she'd been studying alone. She realized that she had noticed her behavior before Ruby stated so, not because she had observed it, but because she, too, was being ignored. But if Blake was avoiding Yang, that meant she must've been avoiding Ruby as well.

Weiss still didn't know if she had made her decision, after all.

 _How could you be so stupid?_ she berated herself. _This is not the time to leave her alone._

She drained her cup completely, a bit disappointed with how quickly the liquid had vanished. "So, what do you want me to do about it?"

Ruby must not have thought that far. She bit her lip again and tried to think of a possible answer. "Don't you know what to do?"

"You dunce. I don't know what to do in every situation," she admitted. Bringing a hand to her chin, she pondered. "Why don't you suggest that they talk to each other? You have the power, since you're Yang's sister."

"Yeah, but when does Yang ever listen to me for relationship advice? I've never dated anyone!"

"Neither have I," Weiss hissed, her eyes narrowing. This was pointless. "If they're not talking, then that's that."

But Ruby was persistent. "Is there really nothing you can do about it, Weiss? You're the Ice Queen!" Ruby almost sounded desperate. Weiss nearly forgot that Ruby was holding her hand until she felt a squeeze. "Please, you've got to do something to get those two to talk. It's bugging Yang so bad. I'll help."

Oh, if only money could buy her everything. She'd just pay for it all. She'd pay for life and its stupid problems to leave her the Hell alone, at least until graduation. And for this crap.

A bit of silence settled in.

"Yang is my sister." Ruby grinned but her eyes remained sad. "Weiss, she really likes Blake. I don't even really have to ask her about it. I know that she does. But she doesn't know how Blake feels or if there's something wrong. She's starting to beat herself up for Blake ignoring her. I know that she really wants to get this right, but she doesn't know what she's doing wrong, and neither do I. I hate seeing my sister like that. And you were there last year when she had her bad breakup too! So…" She dropped her gaze.

For the first time in a while, Weiss felt her chest tighten. She hated the feeling because it meant that she wasn't her usual self. Something had infiltrated that cold, icy exterior. _This isn't even my problem_ , she thought. But it would be if it meant that her best friend was being more despondent than usual. She couldn't stand the idea of Yang upset either, since she had spent a good portion of her last summer scraping pieces of her off the floor. Those were not pleasant memories and she wouldn't be happy to do it again. In fact, she meant not to. Ruby stayed silent, thinking back to the same time and the same, unhappy situation that Weiss remembered. They couldn't have that happen to Yang again.

There were so many pieces to this intricate jigsaw puzzle that just weren't fitting.

Looking out the window, she imagined a similar, dark sky and a slender figure across from her, sitting up on the edge of the bed. Three months had died away so quickly.

 _You realize that I'm your friend, right?_

 _You've… brought me Yang. And that means a lot to me._

 _I love you._

A shiver ran through her _. I owe her that much._

Steeling herself, she looked at Ruby. A frown did not look good on her. Really, nothing did besides a happy expression, she judged then. Funny, how she once thought she hated that face just a few months ago.

"Ruby," she started, catching her attention. "I might be able to do something about it. But, I need you to cooperate with me."

"Really?" the brunette piped up, bringing Weiss' hand to her face. "You can?"

"Yes," she answered, a bit exasperated. "But you have to keep this a secret."

Ruby nodded. "Alright. What do we do?" she asked excitedly.

Weiss pulled out her phone and opened her calendar. Her sapphire orbs scanned the screen before lifting up to Ruby. "You're free May 7th, right?"

The girl tilted her head to the side. "Sure?"

"Well, if you aren't, you are now." The snow angel's fingers danced around her screen before she placed it off to the side. "You do know what day that is, don't you?"

"Uh…"

Weiss almost smiled. "That's Prom night."

* * *

The plan, in theory, was rather simple.

Weiss was going to talk to Yang and convince her to go get a Prom dress, since neither of them had done so yet. In doing so, Yang might pluck up the courage to ask Blake to go with her, they hoped. They knew that she wasn't going to say yes to any of the boys that would ask her and that she'd be much happier anyway. Ruby, on the other hand, would visit Blake some time to receive some (necessary) help on her Calculus homework. During that time, she would also learn the reason why the girl wanted to keep to herself so much. That way, they may be able to connect some of the dots lingering between the two and, hopefully, get them to attend Prom together.

Simple.

In theory.

 _Simple,_ the brunette thought to herself as she climbed off of Bumblebee. _The hardest part is going to be talking to Blake. Hopefully she opens up._ Ruby looked at Yang and noticed her unusual, downcast look. The blonde kept her head turned away from the beach house, staring instead at the ground. She didn't even bother to turn the vehicle off, meaning that she wouldn't be asking to come inside like she normally would. Ruby gave her arm a quick squeeze.

"Thanks, Yang."

The beauty smiled weakly at her little sister. "Just call me when you want me to pick you up, alright?"

With that, Ruby watched her zip away on the yellow motorcycle and walked up the steps leading to the front door. In a few seconds, Blake answered the door. Ruby noticed that her appearance seemed somewhat more disheveled than normal. Her hair sat on top of her head in a messy bun and she wore a tank-top and sweatpants instead of her usual t-shirt and jeans. Dark circles appeared under her golden eyes, meaning that she hadn't been sleeping lately. She didn't look okay.

"Hey Blake!" Ruby showed her a cheeky, wide smile. "Ready to get your Calculus on?"

"Sure," the raven-haired girl replied as she let her guest inside.

They made their way to the kitchen table, which is where they normally did homework together in Blake's house. "I'm sorry you've gotta help me with some of this stuff. It's probably pretty easy for you, huh?"

"On the contrary, I'm glad for your company. I've been struggling too." Blake took a seat.

Ruby pulled out her notebook and the two got to work.

The first hour ticked by slowly. It was good that the plan had included study time—since it _was_ orchestrated by Weiss—because Ruby felt that she could really use it. Thus, the two girls went through basic strategies in handling complicated problems. Ruby wondered more than a few times when on Earth she would ever need to know the volume of a 3D figure in real life, but she dealt with the tough questions. Math was not her weakest area by any means, but at this time of year, even the brainiac sophomore was tiring of school.

Their conversation had been kept strictly to calculus until Ruby found the right time to set the plan in motion.

When Blake returned with two glasses of water for them, Ruby asked, "Blake, are you going to go to Prom?"

The question disarmed her. Blake paused before setting down the glasses on the table. "I haven't really given it a lot of thought."

Ruby pulled her legs in and hugged her knees, looking at her friend curiously. "Why not?"

Blake took a long drink of her water. "It's not really something I thought I would go to. Most people have big plans for Prom. Atlas didn't really place an importance on the event. So, I haven't."

"Oh," Ruby murmured. Why did she need to be the person to talk to Blake? Weiss was closer, after all, and Yang was her sister, so she would've done just fine convincing her to go dress shopping. Didn't Weiss know that she was probably the last person who knew what to say in conversations like that?

"Why do you ask?" Blake questioned her, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.

She scrambled to find some excuse. "Well, uh… I was just curious!"

The look in Blake's golden eyes told Ruby that she was not, in the slightest, convinced of that lie.

Ruby hated how awkward she was. _Okay, so maybe honesty is actually be the best way to do this._ "Actually, I'm asking because… I'm pretty sure Yang wants to go with you."

Blake pursed her lips. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. I mean, she hasn't said so, but," she chuckled. "She's not going to want to go with any of the boys that are going to ask her." She imagined Cardin Winchester and his buddies trying to go after her. Maybe Scarlet or Sage would ask too, even though they probably didn't have any luck either.

Blake tucked some loose strands of her hair behind her air. "How interesting," she replied with an eery sense of indifference.

Ruby frowned. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

The girl continued to scribble away, numbers appearing at random all around the page. "No, Ruby. Not really."

For a while, they didn't say anything else. Ruby thought she'd just drop it there and text Weiss, telling her that she just couldn't do it. She couldn't convince Blake and she didn't know what was up with her. Five minutes later, though, as destiny would have it, the golden-eyed girl set her glasses aside and rubbed her temples. Maybe she was getting a headache.

"Ruby, I don't know what to do about Yang."

Her eyebrows arched. "What do you mean?"

Blake sank in her seat. "I have a choice to make and I'm worried that I'm going to hurt your sister."

Ruby stayed silent, showing her that she was ready to listen.

"I'm either going to be staying in the country to study or I'm going to go study abroad."

Her memory jogged back to late March, back to when her friends had opened their acceptance letters. "Mhmm."

"The problem is, I know that Yang is most likely going to go to a college in the area. They're all really good in the field she wants to go into." This much was true. Ruby nodded and let her continue. "She's expecting me to stay around here too. But I'm not."

Ruby felt a frown find its way on her face. She looked at her hands. "Oh. I see. You're worried that that'll damage your friendship with Yang."

"It's more than that, Ruby." Blake sighed. "I know that people always say goodbye at the end of high school, but…" She said nothing for a few seconds. "I really like your sister," she mumbled awkwardly.

"I could kind of tell, yeah." Ruby chuckled quietly to herself and took a drink of water. "Have you told her that?"

Blake shook her head. "I don't know how to. She'll be upset if I say that I'm going to study on the East Coast but she'll be even more upset if I tell her I'll be in Europe."

"Well, what are you thinking?"

Ruby wasn't sure why she was expecting her to answer that question. Instead, Blake just turned her head away from her. That should've been enough to indicate her answer, but the younger girl didn't understand and asked, "Are you going to study abroad?"

"I can't just let my parents' work go away in vain," Blake defended herself, hoping that Ruby wouldn't be too disappointed in her answer. "I'm still not sure."

Instead, the brunette gave a reassuring smile. "Well… You do have some time. A little bit of time. April isn't over yet."

"It's not _enough_ time." Blake sat up and leaned onto the table. "I'm going to end up hurting Yang and I can't face her for that reason. She must be upset with me."

"No, she isn't," Ruby interjected. "She's really not! Actually, she has been wondering why you've been so distant."

She couldn't believe it. "Really?"

Ruby nodded. "Really." She elaborated. "Yang's not usually the type of person to let her friends be distant. But with you, it's different. I can tell, because she's my sister, and I've ever only seen her like this before once in her life. Blake, I think you mean more than you give yourself credit for. When you get the chance, you should talk to Yang and tell her everything you told me."

Blake weighed her words carefully. "Ruby, I'm not one to run away and keep secrets. But are you sure that she would really listen to me? You're sure?

Silver met gold, and for once, Ruby knew just what to say. "I promise."

* * *

"This is stupid."

"Shut up."

Weiss pulled the doors toward them, walking into the familiar boutique. She had been here a dozen of times before and she couldn't remember the last time she had purchased a dress that _hadn't_ been from this small, humble little shop. Having a Schnee as a patron was a great honor, so the owners typically lowered the prices of each dress. Normally, Weiss would reject the discount and pay in full. But, since she felt rather generous and wanted to buy Yang's dress, too, she decided to take up on the offer.

She pulled off a long, navy blue dress off of the rack. "How about this one?"

"My Homecoming dress was blue," Yang muttered. She sat on a chair a few feet away, looking as disinterested as a cat would be at that moment.

Weiss rolled her eyes. She picked at another dress. "This one?" she asked. It was dark green.

Yang grumbled. "I'm not trying to go to my Prom looking like my school's mascot, Weiss."

She counted to three in her head to let herself cool off before saying something indecent. "What color do you want, then?"

"I don't give a shit," she waved, letting her blonde hair fall over her face as she leaned forward.

 _It's like babysitting a monkey!_ "Yang."

"What?" she barked. "This is stupid, Weiss. I don't want to be here."

"What would you rather be doing, then? Prom is in a week and a half, Yang, and you're going whether you want to or not."

"That's a crime, I swear." She got up on her feet. "Why do I need to go anyway? Did you ever think, hmm, maybe _I don't want to go_?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and observed a maroon dress, feeling its soft fabric on her fingertips. "Since when did you not want to go? It's totally your event! And you're nominated, Miss Xiao Long, for royalty, so you better be there."

Yang gave her the most dubious look, as if it was the most surprising thing she'd heard. "How do you know that?"

"I'm on the council, you dolt." Weiss walked over and held up the same dress to the taller girl's body. "Try this on, will you?"

Yang kept her eyes on the smaller girl, now slightly more inclined to the subject. "Who else is on court?"

"For the girls, there's Pyrrha, of course, you, and Nora." Weiss pushed her friend into the small dressing room nearby. "And for the boys, there's Sun, Cardin, and Neptune."

"Oh, I've got a pretty good feeling for who you're voting for," Yang mused mischievously from behind the door.

Weiss rolled her eyes, gritting her teeth. "And who might that be?"

She could hear Yang fumbling her clothes and putting on the new dress. "Neptune!"

"You're crazy," she barked.

"You're crazy _in love!_ "

Weiss ignored her. At least she was talking. Still, Neptune was the last thing she needed to think about, first because he made her head hurt, and second because he was not her biggest concern right now.

When Yang opened the door, Weiss felt her jaw go a little slack. She looked _beautiful._ With the way the dress hung loosely off her shoulders, flowing down to her ankles and hugging her upper torso nicely, Yang simply looked breathtaking, enough so that the Ice Queen had to remind herself to stop gawking. She smirked, taking one more look up and down. "I do so well."

"I gotta say, this one is pretty nice." Yang smiled, for the first time in the half-hour that she had been with her friend. "How do you always get it right the first time?"

"I don't know, but I think that's the one." Weiss nodded in approval. "Alright. Time to find my dress."

Yang closed the door to change. "So, what are _you_ going to do for Prom, then?"

For a moment, Weiss hesitated to answer. "I'll take Ruby."

The blonde was stupefied. "Ruby? Why Ruby? Don't you want to go with a dude?"

"Yang, you know as well as I do that boys only care about the perks of my last name." The girl selected a purple dress from the rack. "Besides, Ruby, er…" She cleared her throat. "Ruby and I are friends, and I've decided I should go with friends. Boys are so replaceable."

The blonde emerged from behind her and took a look. "Not that one. Anyway. You could totally go with Neptune. I mean, it's really nice that you're taking Rubes, but, Neptune! Vasilias! He likes you a lot."

"I don't care," she lied, a blush betraying her cruelly. _Not. My. Priority._ No, her priority stood right next to her, and she needed to stick to the plan, because Ruby was counting on her, and so was Blake. "Ask Blake to Prom, will you?"

The sudden shift in the conversation stunned Yang. "Where the Hell is that coming from?"

"Me, Yang, I'm the only person talking to you," she replied sardonically. "It's not in your character to go to Prom stag anyway."

"I…" Yang sighed. "What's the point? Blake's not talking to me."

"Then talk to her!" Weiss inspected another dress. "Did you ever think, hmm, maybe she's waiting for _you to talk to her_?"

"I don't know why she would be. She's been avoiding me like I'm the plague or something."

"You may as well be." Weiss turned her eyes to her. "Yang, she likes you. A lot. A lot, a lot, a lot."

"Bullshit."

"I may be one for insincerity every so often, but really, I'm not lying." Her hand found the hook of another hanger, this time holding up a white dress with some sheer and sequins. "I'm going to try this on."

When she got into the dressing room and started to free herself of her clothes, she heard Yang ask, "Why does it matter to you so much, Weiss?"

She stopped moving, her sapphire eyes locking onto her reflection in the mirror _._ Why wouldn't it matter to her? These were two of her closest friends—two of her only friends, really—and she wasn't just going to watch them fall apart. There was an ending to this chapter of their lives, and the clock until they'd say goodbye to Beacon forever was counting down. Weiss wanted them to enjoy it together. She felt obligated because these two had shown them kindness. But more importantly, they showed her love. And that was enough for her to do the same.

Weiss could tell when two people really loved each other, even if she herself hadn't been privileged enough to share her love with someone else.

"Because, Yang." She turned away from her own visage. "You guys are my friends. It wouldn't be fair for me to leave you be when I know you could be happier." She opened the door. "And it's Prom."

Yang showed another smile, a small one, as she looked at her. Dressed like that, she really did look like an ethereal snow angel. "Well damn. I guess you're right."

Weiss let out an haughty chuckle. "Indeed I am. Come on, let's go to the counter."

Everything was going according to plan.

So far.

* * *

Of all the ideas she had generated in the past two and a half weeks, this one, by far, was the dumbest.

Still, she let her beloved motorcycle carry her further into the night, racing past neon lights and empty streets. Besides going to a bar or clubbing, there was hardly anything to do in the city at this hour. The majority of sensible people found sleep, as the following weekday promised work and required energy. She turned right down the last block nearest the town's park, heading towards the water. If her engine weren't running so loud, she'd probably be able to hear the crashing of the waves.

Yang couldn't even be sure Blake would be awake nearing one in the morning. But she might be. Yang noticed that she was so lethargic and inert at school recently, but she didn't know why. Was she studying herself to death again? She'd like to think that she had gotten into a really good book series or that she was watching movies, but in her gut, she knew it not to be true. Somehow, she felt that she was responsible, that she was the problem.

It had taken a few days for Weiss' advice to seep in. During that time, she had tried to converse with Blake here and there, but it just wasn't the same. It was an improvement, though. At least she acknowledged that Yang existed. It still wasn't enough, however. Until they could talk freely and laugh joyfully together, it wouldn't be enough.

She turned off Bumblebee, parking it just outside the steps leading up to the porch. Casting a glance at the front door, she thought to ring the doorbell, but resorted to an even stupider approach to the problem. It had been months, maybe even a year at this point now, since she had done something so impulsive and ridiculous. Sneaking out of the house required stealth she didn't know she had. Ruby was out cold, and so was her dad, but the trick was always having to get by Uncle Qrow. That old fart woke up to every sound, she swore. She was amazed she managed to get out without alarming him.

Yang walked around the corner to where Blake's bedroom window faced the sea. Her eyes scanned for some type of boost up onto the top of the porch so that she could get in, finding a few chairs. Carefully, she dragged one to where she deemed it fit, then proceeded to climb atop and hoist herself up and onto the roof. The dark purple curtains fluttered as a breeze blew from the ocean, and for a split second, Yang thought she could see Blake in her bed, sleeping. She froze. Maybe this was a really, really dumb idea after all.

But she decided to pull back the fabric and slide her way into the room anyway.

Surprisingly, Blake was still awake at this time. After hearing movement, the raven-haired girl had sat up quickly and put her glasses on. They weren't that much of a boost to her vision, but somehow they let her focus those golden eyes faster. The look on her face couldn't capture the mixed feelings of shock, frustration, and relief that woke in her all at once. Yang could only tell that she was surprised to see her. Awkwardly, they stared at each other, Yang feeling unsure if she should stay.

"Uh… H-hey…" she stammered, bringing her hand gingerly up to her head.

Blake cast a glance to the clock on her bedside table. "You realize what time it is, don't you?"

Her words cut through her like a knife. Yang turned herself back towards the window. "Yeah… Sorry."

Her feet shuffled against the carpet as she made her way back from whence she came, her heart sinking.

"Yang?" Blake called out. "Please, don't leave…"

The blonde looked back and found herself sitting on top of the queen-sized bed soon enough. It was definitely a bit big, if not too big, for one person. The thought of her laying down sounded really, really nice, so she did so. Stretching her legs out, she laid down on her side so that she could face Blake. The girl sank back down into her covers and sheets, shifting so that she could see Yang. Lilac and gold stared, unblinking, at each other for so long, they might have fallen asleep in that time.

"What are you doing here?" Blake asked, breaking the silence that had settled in.

"I…" Yang sighed. "I wanted to talk to you. I haven't been able to."

Blake frowned. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "It's fine, Blakey. I just wish you'd let me know what's going on, y'know? We're not on the same page."

"No." Blake found the girl's hand under the blanket and took it. "No, I suppose we aren't."

Their fingers laced, as if it was the most natural thing for them to do. "Will you tell me? You said you promised to on the beach." _Three weeks sure seemed like a long time ago…_

Without releasing her hand, Blake rolled onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. "You have to listen to me. Don't interrupt and wait for me to finish."

"Okay."

She breathed in. "I have to make a choice, and neither of my options are going to be good for us."

Yang wanted to say something, but she felt some invisible hand forcing her to be quiet.

Blake continued. "I know that you're going to college within the area. I'm happy for you. I know that you'll do well. But… I won't be so close by. The only school I applied for here rejected me, but the other schools in Boston and in France accepted me. Decision day is next week and I have to make up my mind. But in doing so, I know that I'm going to sever our relationship in two. That's why I haven't been talking to you. I don't know what to do about it."

A few seconds died away. Yang wasn't sure what to say, so she spoke the first thing that came to mind, as slow as that had been. "You're going to 'sever our relationship?' Blake, what's that supposed to mean?" She scooted closer.

The other girl turned her head. "You know what that means."

Not entirely. She had an idea. "I really don't."

Blake swallowed thickly. "You already know that I love you. I'm not willing to give up my feelings for you unless I have to."

Yang felt herself stop breathing.

The words echoed in her head for what seemed like eternity. Blake loved her? Like a friend, right? Like something else? Everything ran through her head, from the way she held her hand at the drive-in, the many times they'd laughed at a story, the smell of her perfume—every little thing that had totaled to this, this cat's cradle of heartstrings. Yang inhaled deeply, trying to revive herself after dying a bit on the inside from the intensity of Blake's confession. She knew, but to hear it spoken made her weak.

"Blake…" she whispered, her voice catching in her throat. "I…"

"If you don't feel the same, then just tell me. That way, it'll be easier when I have to go." Golden eyes remained staring upwards, but as the moon lent some of its silvery rays into the room, Yang could see small pools threatening to spill. "It's ridiculous, anyway, Yang. And if you don't see me as anything more, then just say so."

Every rehearsed verse that she was supposed to say vanished from her mind. Yang only looked at her best friend, her close companion, like she had broken her, completely shattered her. She saw tears running down her temples. It felt like her heart was ripping open. What was she supposed to say? She racked her brain, trying to find something, _anything_ to say. But nothing. There was nothing.

Pushing herself up, she looked down at Blake and called her name. The girl responded by locking gazes. It was all too much at once for them both to bear, she knew. When Yang dipped down, she didn't stop her, and let her eyes shut when she felt that it was time.

When Yang's lips finally met Blake's, the blonde thought she might faint. They were so, so much better than she imagined them to be, and she reveled at the feeling, shivering just a bit. Her hands found Blake's cheeks, holding her close, while she kissed her again. The raven-haired girl's fingers wrapped around the back of Yang's neck, beckoning her closer, if that were possible. They kissed again, then again, and again, pure adrenaline shooting through their bloodstream, their minds going completely blank. All that mattered was each other right now.

Yang pulled away for air, but she could only catch a breath for a second or so before the girl underneath her drew her back in. But she didn't care. She wanted more. She needed more. Yang's hands wandered, eventually finding their way to Blake's sides. Her skin seemed smoother than porcelain and burned under her touch. It sent shocks all over Blake, firing each and every part of her all at once. A soft, shallow moan escaped between Blake's lips before Yang kissed her again, hungrily, as if there was nothing in the world more important.

But if she got too close to the flame, Yang realized, she might burn.

When they parted, they were breathless, faces flushed and lips swollen. Blake's golden eyes were half-lidded, her chest rising then falling, rising then falling, ebony locks surrounding her. It took everything in Yang's power not to kiss her again, not like that, because if she did, then she really wouldn't be leaving at all.

"You have me, Blake." She granted her a chaste kiss, wanting to linger, but not letting herself. "You have me."

Blake watched her athletic figure slip out of the room just as easily as she had only a while prior. Her lips tingled, no doubt wishing for Yang's. When she turned onto her side, she listened to an engine roar in the quiet of the night. Blake sighed, her golden eyes staring at the little alarm clock on her desk. It glowed **1:17 A.M.**

* * *

 **A/N: Well! I hope you guys enjoyed this update. I had a very hard time writing this chapter, and I suspect that it's not the best that it could be, but this was an overdue wait given the last chapter.**

 **A bit of a note before I post chapter eleven:**

 **First of all, I'm gone for Labor Day weekend, which means I won't be updating until about a week's time (sorry!). Second of all, please remember that this _is_ a T-rated fic, meaning that I have the liberty to include some material that some readers might find graphic or disturbing. The scene above (heh) is definitely not meant for anything below a T-rating. There are other elements pertaining to that rating (in the next chapter especially). I don't want to be cliche and give away the plot, but be wise. Or, should I say, be _Weiss?_ heh**

 **Thank you all so much. I cannot believe I have so much support for this story! Please leave me some feedback as to what you thought, how I can improve, and the like. I always read it. Thank you guys so much. 3**

 **-Lex**


	11. Cold as Ice

**A/N: Note at the bottom. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven: Cold as Ice**

The days following were all a blur, and before she realized it, the first of May had come.

Blake sat in her usual seat next to Ruby, her pencil scratching random numbers here and there as she ran the calculations in her head. Besides Oobleck's anatomy exam, her calculus final would be the hardest hurdle to jump over as the year was coming to an end. Half the class had complained up until the test and answer sheets had been laid on their desks, and Blake couldn't blame them. She had tried to spend her spare hours studying for this very day, knowing that her grade rode heavily on the thirty questions she had to answer. It wasn't easy. She checked her answers once more before bringing her test to the front, where Mrs. Goodwitch sat, correcting some already finished tests. The teacher gave her a small grin before returning to her key.

The class had been given sixty minutes exactly to complete the exam. Surprisingly, Blake found that she didn't need the full amount, sitting back down in her seat with seven more minutes. She looked over to Ruby. Her head was dipped down until it nearly touched her desk, her brunette locks falling in front of her face. She had studied hard, too, and Blake didn't worry about how she would do. She knew she'd do well. Ruby might have goofed off in class, but that girl was a serious genius.

Blake turned her head to the side, looking towards the window. Outside, the sun hid shyly behind patches of clouds. It seemed that it would rain soon as dark gray started to paint the sky all over. Was it really spring, really May, already? She rested her chin on her hand and gave a long sigh. Soon, she'd be leaving, and it almost seemed to her like she hadn't spent nearly nine months here in this school, in this town. Blake wondered if, somewhere half across the world, it was also overcast and gloomy.

She had come to her decision late last night and placed her check in the mail before she left for school. In a few hours, the mail clerk would pick it up, and the small envelope would be sent away, sealing her fate for the next four years. It was a scary thought. She could choose where she wanted to learn and live for the new phase in her life. A part of her almost wish that it had been selected for her by some unseen force. But, of course, that wasn't how her life worked. That wasn't how any life worked in general.

She broke her own heart making her decision. Over and over.

As she laid in her bed last night, Blake came to the realization that for the past few months, she had been so foolish. Ridiculous. Stupid. Anything to describe how pathetic she felt, how horrible she had been. How hard was it to just speak the truth, to tell Yang her feelings, or her decision? More than that, why couldn't they just _talk about it?_ Why couldn't they be grown-ups, civil people, and discuss their future, if it existed? Kisses never solved problems—if anything, they just complicated things even more. She had enjoyed it, certainly, but it hadn't cleared the air whatsoever. They needed to talk.

After class had ended, Ruby walked over to her and announced, "Man, that test was pretty hard!"

"It wasn't meant to be easy," Blake replied, standing and packing away her things. "How do you think you did?"

"Hmm…" Ruby hummed. "I think I did alright."

"Me too."

The two walked out of the room, feeling a burst of cold air as an unpleasant breeze blew by. "Aww man, what is this?" Ruby whined as she looked up towards the sky. Droplets of water started their descent.

Blake mimicked her action. "It's spring."

"I hate when it rains," the smaller girl complained as they headed towards the English classrooms. "It always ruins things."

"You must not like snow, then," Blake chuckled under her breath.

"I've only seen it a few times," Ruby replied. "But you like snow, don't you? Doesn't it snow a lot in Boston?"

At the mention of her previous home city, Blake thought about her parents, Charles, and their old house. The best days she had with her family were in the winter, when it was so cold that the only thing to do at home was sit by the fireplace and enjoy one another's company. She missed that.

"Yes. It does."

Blake had walked Ruby to her second class of the day a hundred times, but today felt strange. It felt heavy, in a way, like there was a burden on her shoulder or something similar. They continued on their normal route, through the central plaza, past the lockers, a right turn here, then a left. Then Blake stopped. Ruby did too, when she noticed she had walked a good fifteen feet without her companion. Brows furrowed, the sophomore asked, "What's up?"

"I made my decision, about college," Blake answered. "I need to tell Yang."

"Oh." She sounded neither happy nor upset. Ruby already knew. "When do you plan to?"

"Today." _It has to be today._ "I'm tired of acting stupidly, Ruby. I need to apologize and just tell her the truth. I can't keep hiding secrets."

Ruby's lips stretched into a thin line. "I'm glad you're going to be honest."

 _Me too._

* * *

The rain was really pissing her off.

Yang brought her hood over her face as she made her last lap on the track, the liquid bullets raining hell. Of all days, it just had to rain _today,_ when she wanted to run around in literal circles for all of lunch. Now, instead of actually managing to blow off some steam, she just got angrier. She didn't mind rain whenever she was inside, but the sheets that blanketed her from above proved to be too much. She came to a slow and let out an exasperated groan, walking back towards her locker. Hopefully she had a spare outfit. Otherwise, she'd be spending the next half of her classes in soaked, dripping clothes.

For the past week, instead of eating lunch in the cafeteria, Yang had gone over to the track to run a few laps. Running always cleared her head, and she needed to be away from school and her exams and prom and… And _her._ She loved Blake, obviously, madly and deeply. The only problem was that she hadn't said so. She hadn't confessed, yet. And it was driving her crazy.

There was the thought that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't happen. Blake might've loved Yang—since she had said so herself—but there was the possibility that life would throw something at them and end their relationship. She wouldn't be staying in California, and if they wanted to keep their friendship alive, it would take a lot of work. Yang didn't want to think about that too much.

Sometimes her memory would rewind to the night she snuck out to see Blake. She hadn't said it. Yang rehearsed three simple, easy words in her brain several times, mouthing it to herself like a mantra, but of course, she said three other words, _You have me._ That wasn't _I love you._ It wasn't untrue, but God, if she just _grew up_ , and just spoke her mind for once, and, and… If she could just act her age, act seventeen, and be honest— _God!_

Needless to say, Yang Xiao Long was very, very frustrated.

As she rummaged through her locker and its contents, she heard heavy footsteps falling just a few yards away. She turned her head and noticed flowing, red hair and bright, green eyes, belonging only to one person. Yang greeted her with a smile and felt herself relax. Pyrrha always had a way of bringing a sense of comfort and warmth wherever she went. The girl leaned against the other lockers, crossing her arms and her ankles.

"Yikes," she laugh, inspecting Yang's wet form. "It appears you've gone swimming today, Yang."

"Clearly," Yang sighed, trying not to sound so curt. She was incredibly grateful her clothes weren't see-through. "What's up, Pyrrha?"

"Oh, nothing." She grinned. "I just wanted to say hello again. Oh! You are going to Prom, yes?"

 _Oh, right. That._ "Of course I'm going! I'm nominated. Dunno why." Her hands felt something soft, a shirt, or maybe a pair of shorts? She reached and discovered it was just a sock.

Pyrrha chuckled. "Well, the whole school can give you a long list of why you're nominated for court."

"Yeah, well." Yang smiled. "You're on court again, too. If I lose, I hope it's because you're Prom queen! You're nominated too!'

"Yes. It seems so." Pyrrha let out a deep breath, her shoulders falling.

Yang arched an eyebrow. She only did that when she was upset. _So there_ is _something._ "Is something wrong? Did Jaune do something dumb?"

"No." She shook her head. "No, I'm alright. We're alright."

Yang continued her search through her duffel bag, finding a clean shirt. _Now I just need some shorts…_ "Are you sure?" she asked, not entirely convinced.

"I'm sure. Yang." She brought her hands together, all jovial sense to her voice gone. "There is something I have to tell you."

Yang slung the duffel bag over her shoulder and looked over at her. "Yeah? What is it?"

Pyrrha bit the inside of her cheek, her look apologetic. "I'm sorry. Yang, he's back in town."

"Who is?"

Pyrrha's green eyes narrowed. "Yang, you know."

She ran the question through her brain a few times. "Who?"

All Pyrrha had to do was dip her head down just a bit, just a centimeter. And then she knew.

 _Oh._

"How do you know?" Yang inquired, slowly closing her locker.

Pyrrha brought her head up, her eyes sympathetic. "I overheard Cardin talking about it this morning. I wasn't sure if you noticed or not, because you were listening to music." Pyrrha frowned. "He's supposed to be coming to our Prom. He's back for the weekend, it seems, so at least… You won't have to worry about him for too long."

Yang's brain felt like mush. Fried. Not functioning. Her heart sank in her chest.

Nope.

Nope nope nope.

Of all the things that could happen in her life, this certainly was not what she wanted. She gave her friend one more look before turning away from her. She could deal with this later, when other things weren't already pressuring her. "Pyrrha, let's go. I need to change out of my clothes."

Pyrrha reached out. "Yang…"

"Come on, Pyrrha."

 _Nope._

* * *

Blake looked for her after school ended. It was time.

Truth be told, she wasn't sure why she didn't do this months ago. Maybe this wasn't a good day to do it. Yang hadn't spoken to her in Port's English class, too busy writing notes down in her notebook to notice that Blake had been trying to get her attention for a little while. Maybe she'd wait. But she had been waiting too long, and it was getting to be too much, this need for clarification. Looking up, she envied the carefree, gray clouds. The rain stopped for about an hour after lunch, but she knew it would rain again soon.

She waited a few minutes for the school to clear out, although there would be other students who would linger for a while longer. When the majority of people had gone home, the raven-haired girl found her friend and pulled her into the courtyard, which, surprisingly, was empty at the time. She hadn't complained or objected. Yang stood before her, arms at her sides, lips pursed. Blake took in a deep breath, preparing her next set of words carefully. Yang was not, by any means, delicate or fragile, but she had been hurt before. She hoped this would not damage her as much as she anticipated it would.

"Yang, I wanted to be honest with you and clear the air," she began. The other girl remained silent and nodded, so she continued, saying, "I have made my decision." Blake locked gazes and summoned all the courage she had in her. "I committed to a college in France. That's where I'll be studying."

There was a long, long pause, as if time froze.

Yang broke eye contact, looking instead at her feet as she crossed her arms. Suddenly the ground was much more appealing. "Yeah?"

Blake nodded. "I decided that I really want to continue my parents' work and see through what my mother would have wanted me to experience in another country. It'll be hard, but I believe it will be very rewarding."

A bit of silence followed before the other girl spoke. "That's a good idea," Yang replied, swallowing thickly. "I'm sure you'll be happy," she added, trying to smile and failing miserably.

It started to rain. Blake frowned, her chest quickly becoming too tight. "What are you thinking?"

"Really, Blake, I'm happy for you," she answered, although her tone seemed too dismal for her words to be true. "I know you're going to do well. What is it you'll be studying again? Business?"

"Yes." She took a step towards the blonde, trying to close the distance between them. "I'll make sure to text you, call you, mail you some things. At least, that way, we can keep in contact with each other."

"But there's nothing to really keep _us_ together, huh, Blakey?" Yang finally lifted her eyes up, looking so despondent, Blake instantly regretted speaking. She gave out a small _ha,_ but there was no joy, no happiness, no mirth to it. It was hollow. "What about us? Did you think of that?"

"Yang…" Blake shook her head. She wished that she hadn't asked. "I did."

"Really?" Yang ran her hands through her thick hair, tugging a bit. "What are you going to do about us?"

Blake wanted to stay quiet, but she had done that enough. No. Now it was time to be completely honest and to admit what she had been thinking for the previous week. She shut her eyes. Her voice trembled as she answered, "I'm going to let you go."

The blonde could hardly believe what she had heard. Her jaw hung open. "What?"

Heat pooled behind Blake's eyelids, and she knew that if she opened her eyes, she'd start crying. "You're a kind person, Yang. And I know that you'll be able to get anyone that you want."

Yang shook her head, trying to make sense of what the golden-eyed girl was saying. In an instant, she closed the gap and grabbed Blake by her shoulders, trying to be careful so as not to hurt her. "Blake, what are you—"

"I'm doing this not just so I can pursue my dreams, but so that you don't feel obligated to hold onto me. Europe is far away, and long-distance relationships can be very hard to manage. I don't want you to feel like you need to do that just to make me happy." Blake steadied herself and opened her eyes again, meeting lavender as soon as her vision came full focus. "At least that way you can be happy, too. It would be too hard. There's someone better, I know it. Even though I love you, I think it would be best if—"

"Blake."

Yang shut her up with a kiss before she could say anything more.

It would have been nice if kisses solved problems, but they never did.

Silence followed as she pulled away slowly. The rain picked up as the skies opened up more and more.

"I'm…" Blake was dumbfounded. "Yang, what are you…"

Yang's impulsivity got the best of her again, but she didn't really care. "Damn it, Blake, you… You…" She cursed at herself inwardly, trying so hard to say the right thing. Vocalizing her thoughts properly never seemed to be her strong suit. Lavender met gold as she confessed, "I love you. Don't you see that?"

Blake stared back at her, her lips parted, as if to say something. But she said nothing in response.

"I get it," Yang sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I know that high school friends part and that it's hard to stay together and all that, but… I mean, Blake, look at me, being an idiot and all…" Her hands balled into fists. "I'm sorry that I haven't really been able to tell you and that I've been kinda… hiding it these couple of months. I do love you."

Blake turned away, not being able to bear the gravity of Yang's words. She wanted to shrink. Still, she remained silent.

Yang collected herself again before going on. "That time at Christmas, and Valentine's Day, and the beach. All those study sessions, and the movies we watched, Monopoly, dinner and shopping together… Don't they mean anything to you?" She turned her around so that they faced each other. "Don't we mean anything to you?"

"Yes, Yang, of course!" Blake replied, crying now. She didn't cry, ever. But she didn't care. Any shred of pride in her had vanished.

"Then why?" Yang sounded strained and hushed. "Why aren't you wanting to try? Blake, I can't be _just friends_ with you!"

For a minute, Blake considered changing her mind. But there was no time to undo her actions.

She removed Yang's hands from her shoulders, shaking her head. "I can't, Yang. I can't do it."

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

"You can't, or you won't?" Yang stepped backwards, tense. A familiar heat rushed through her, coursing through her veins as if it was blood. "Is it too hard, Blake? Is it too much to ask for? Are you just going to stop being my friend after we graduate because _that's_ too hard for you?"

Blake stood her ground. "What are you saying? Yang, I'm trying to do what I can, but I just don't know if—" She stopped talking, suddenly.

Yang's lips trembled before she bit down on them, hard, to feel something, anything. Hot tears spilled from her eyes in small rivulets down her cheeks. "Bullshit, Blake. Bullshit. You're not being serious." Her voice was thick with ire, her eyes a blended shade between deep violet and burning crimson.

"I'm s-sorry… I'm really sorry." Blake stumbled over her words and backed away.

"You're not being serious," Yang repeated again, making it sound more like a fact than her speculation. "You have got to be kidding me."

No response.

"You're _fucking kidding me._ " Her chest rose in sporadic, uneven motions as she took in a few gasps of air.

Blake moved backwards, afraid and wanting to hide. She'd hurt her, and now she was angry. "Please, please, Yang…"

The blonde stared at her, hard. "Are you throwing what we have away?"

She didn't know how to answer. Blake closed her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks and onto her shoes. They were indistinguishable from the rain.

Yang's eyes, which had burned like fire once again, subsided and returned to their purple hue. Only now, they looked forlorn and desperate for an answer. When Blake didn't reply, Yang whispered, "Fine."

"Yang…"

But she didn't turn around to face her. She didn't stop walking away. Blake watched her back as she turned around the corner. By now, the sheets of rain had returned, full force, covering everything. She stood alone. The water felt heavy and cold, much like herself, like her heart.

* * *

"Everything is going to plan!"

Weiss lifted her eyes off of her notes, setting her pen down after she checked the time. She had been studying for _three hours_ , and she hadn't once let herself relax. She looked over to Ruby, who laid on her bed, phone in hand. "Is that so?"

The rain continued throughout much of the week, although it had lightened up today. Still, it hadn't ceased raining as the evening carried on. The two girls had eaten their dinners before resuming their studies. Because Ruby had already finished most of her hard exams, she took time to lounge while Weiss braced herself for another intense amount of studying. The brunette remained patient and silent, knowing that her host could only take so much noise before she'd scold her. Weiss appreciated it. Even if she could be a bit much at times, Ruby made good company, especially on Friday nights like these.

"Yup!" Ruby grinned, her reaction delayed. "Yang's been at Blake's for a while now."

Weiss pursed her lips. "Strange. Blake told me she'd be out today."

"Really? Well, I don't think she'd turn Yang away." Ruby tapped away at her device.

Because it was the day before Prom, most of the students at Beacon hadn't gone to school, much to Weiss' joy. It meant classes would be quieter and easier to focus in with her talkative peers gone. Yang hadn't showed up today, not surprisingly. But neither did Blake. Somehow, she felt as though something was wrong. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the beginning of the week, as they somehow found a way to allude her.

 _Strange._

"Can you believe Prom is tomorrow night?" Ruby sighed, rolling onto her back.

"You do have a dress, don't you?" Weiss returned to her homework, ignoring her question. "If you do, I haven't seen it."

"Yeah…" Ruby leapt off her bed. "Penny's letting me borrow a dress. She's so nice." The girl chuckled to herself. "Say, Weiss," she started, walking over to where the girl sat at her desk. "Why are you taking me? Like, there are tons of other guys that would love to go with you."

Weiss deadpanned. "Like who?"

"Uh, Neptune?" Ruby gave her a toothy smile. "I thought you really liked him."

"Ruby, don't talk to me about him." She had. Certainly. Perhaps she still did. "But I'm trying to focus on school." _And sticking to the plan…_ "Besides, I chose to go with you so you could keep an eye out on Yang. I thought she would enjoy her last high school dance much more if her little sister came along."

"Yeah? That's pretty nice of you. Did you want to go with a boy?"

Weiss tried not to lie. "Yes, but it's better if you're with me instead."

"Huh." Ruby looked over her shoulder, deciding to change the topic. "You take really nice notes. How do you not smear the pen?" Ruby wondered. She, too, was left-handed, but she couldn't do anything to have handwriting like Weiss'.

"I suppose I'm just careful," she replied. It took a whopping five minutes of staring at her bullet points before she leaned back in her chair, finished with her study session for the day. "Ruby, are you sure Yang's with Blake? What has she been doing all day today, do you know?"

"I have no idea…" She tapped her finger on her lips. "She probably slept all day. Why?"

"I haven't talked to her. Has she asked Blake to the dance?"

"Y'know, now that you say that…" Ruby appeared deep in thought for a moment. "I don't know. I thought you were supposed to get her to do that."

"She told me she'd figure out some way to do so," Weiss murmured, closing her notebook and placing it inside her desk. "I should've bothered her about it." Again, she looked at the clock on her desk. "Are you going to go home?"

"Huh?" Silver met sapphire.

"Ruby, it's almost ten thirty. Are you going to go home, or do I need to provide you with sleeping arrangements here?"

A blush fell on the younger girl's face. "I gotta go home, of course… Are you trying to get rid of me?"

Weiss huffed. "Well, no. I'm only asking, since it's starting to get late." She was about to add onto her comment until a noise interrupted her. She turned her head to look at her phone, buzzing rather violently on the table. With one swipe, she answered the call she was receiving. "Hello?"

The voice on the other line was not anyone she expected to call her at this time. His voice wavered. "Hey, snow angel?"

She almost dropped her phone. "N-Neptune?" Weiss sat up straight in her chair, meeting Ruby's curious eyes. She cleared her throat and calmed her nerves. _Good Heavens, get it together!_ "What is it?"

"Hey," he repeated, sounding a bit more relaxed as well. "I wanted to call you."

"Oh, I see…" Weiss wasn't sure how to respond. Ruby grinned at her, leaning in closer to listen in on the conversation. "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah, actually," he replied. "Sun and I passed by a party and we thought we saw Yang."

"Yang?" Her brows furrowed together. As far as she knew, she was supposed to be with Blake! "Where are you guys?"

"Well, we were just leaving Skylar's, but we passed by Cardin's. He's throwing a huge party right now. There are a lot of cars parked out front and I'm pretty sure Yang's bike is there too. Sun thought he saw her get off and go inside like twenty or thirty minutes ago."

Weiss looked at Ruby, whose complexion reflected something between worry and confusion. "You're sure? Why would she be at Cardin's house?"

"Didn't you hear?" Neptune paused. "Her ex is back for the weekend."

" _What?_ " Weiss hissed into the phone, tone suddenly turning venomous. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

"I only just found out today!" Neptune defended himself. "Listen, Weiss, I—"

She ended the phone call.

"What's going on?" Ruby questioned, watching the heiress pull on a jacket and her shoes.

"We have to go, Ruby." The heiress grabbed her keys and her purse off the desk and made her way towards the door. "Yang's at a party"

"What?" Ruby hurried after her. "A party? I thought she was… with Blake…"

 _I thought so too, but we'll have to see how this plays out._ Weiss could not piece together the logic behind Yang and her actions to go to Cardin's party. Sparing herself from thinking about it too much, she stormed through the halls, Ruby following close behind her. In just under a minute, she found herself behind the steering wheel of her Bentley. The white lights illuminated the driveway before her and she raced off into the night, the rain falling harder and harder as each second died away.

Ruby had stayed silent the whole time, trying to contact her older sister. When her calls went unanswered, she finally spoke. "Weiss, you don't think Yang's…"

"I don't know. Try calling Blake."

Weiss took a sharp turn, flying past Beacon Academy. If her father had been in the car with her, he would've had a heart attack as she sped fifteen over the speed limit.

Ruby tapped at Blake's contact, but the phone rang five times before Blake's voicemail greeted her. She tried again, and again, but three calls had gone unanswered. The brunette shook her head. "She's not answering her phone."

"Where is she?" Weiss wondered aloud.

Cardin Winchester always threw the parties one might see in those typical high school movies. Beacon, although being a highly ranked school, had its own sore spot of students, and he belonged to that group. Hardly anyone liked him, but he made friends and remained popular throughout their time at school. Parties were his norm. Of course, since a certain someone was back in town, Weiss was sure that his party would be wilder than usual. If Yang was really there…

The line of houses blended together, but there was one in particular that stood out to the young heiress. Cardin had the privilege in being born into a well-known, well-off family, and his house certainly boasted of their prestige. Of course, she was much richer, and his humble abode seemed tiny compared to hers, but that didn't matter to her right now. What did was that she spotted Yang's trademark yellow motorcycle amongst the incredible amount of vehicles all parked in the long driveway. Weiss brought her car to a stop a house away and exited the car, heels splashing water around her.

"Weiss, wait!" Ruby called out, catching up to her. "Are you sure Yang's here?"

"Her bike is here, Ruby." Weiss climbed the small set of stairs leading to the front door.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting when she pulled open the door. The heiress almost lost her dinner. The smell of sweat and liquor wafted down the hallway, the bass of some club beat bouncing off the walls so strongly the whole house seemed to vibrate. People were everywhere—on the couches, on the floor, on each other. Not a single person looked sober. Bottles of vodka laid empty, one of them broken, and other colorful spirits, like brandy, beer, even whiskey, found their way either on the floor or in someone's bloodstream. Steeling herself, Weiss pushed past a group of boys, trying to find golden hair somewhere. She knew she was here.

She felt Ruby grab onto her hand so that they wouldn't get separated. The silver-haired girl forced herself into the kitchen. Cardin had his head tilted back, some kind of alcohol flowing down his throat. His friends were all cheering him on. But there was no sign of Yang. She continued, searching the bathroom, the family room, even the garage. Then, suddenly, she bolted up the stairs, her feet falling so hard she could have broken a hole in the wooden steps. Her body carried her over to a bedroom. She flung the door open and all her rage seemed to wake at once. Ruby gasped, clutching Weiss tightly.

There he was, slate-gray hair and matching eyes, that cocky, arrogant smile spread across his charming face. If Weiss hadn't known any better, she felt that she might've liked him, too. Mercury Black was an attractive young man. But she saw the way Yang had fallen, hard, only to be left months later. She couldn't stand the look of him, especially back then, but seeing him now only made her angrier. It took all her power and self-control to keep herself from breaking his nose, or breaking something else. This was the first time she'd seen him in more than nine months and she _still_ wanted to have his head on a stake.

They were kissing in the middle of the room, but once the door opened, Yang pulled away. When Weiss looked into those familiar, lilac eyes, she saw something that hadn't been present for a long, long time. There was that haze, that foggy look over her that meant her brain had stopped functioning, and that she was acting not of her own accord. Weiss couldn't be sure how long she'd been like that, but it scared her. Yang gave a little drunk giggle, her lips managing a small smile. The blue-eyed girl couldn't even be sure if she realized Ruby was standing right next to her, her own silver eyes wide and body stiff, as though petrified.

"Yang," Weiss called out, her tone cold. "We're going home."

"Hoohm?" The blonde titled her head. "But I gotta—"

She didn't waste her breath by trying to argue. Instead, the Ice Queen walked over to her and pulled her away from Mercury, mustering all her strength. Yang was heavy, muscular as she was. "You're coming with me."

"You're no fun, Weiss." Mercury sighed, his hair messy and unkempt. They must've been kissing for an ungodly amount of time.

Weiss slammed the door shut on him as she and Ruby dragged Yang out of the house. "I cannot believe you," she shouted at Yang once they put her inside the Bentley. Without wasting another minute, the three headed back.

Ruby stayed in the backseat with her older sister, cradling her head and whispering that it would be alright, that it would be okay, that their father would understand, surely. She had started crying, trying hard to wish that this hadn't happened, that Yang was with Blake instead, or at least with her. Weiss glanced a few times at the rear-view mirror, catching sight of the younger girl hunched over, upset. She gripped the steering wheel so tightly she thought she'd snap it. It happened again.

This was not a part of the plan.

And this was not what was supposed to happen.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh boy. This chapter was, by far, the hardest of all. I had a really hard time figuring out how I was going to write it. It's fairly intense and there's a huge shift in the dynamic, I think, but don't worry ya'll. There are three more chapters after this, and those ones will be worth the read. Sorry if this one wasn't the best. It hurt to write. (I can feel someone planning my murder.)**

 **I wanted to let you guys know that fall quarter is starting up at the end of this month and this next week for me is going to be pretty crazy, so it might be a while until you see an update. I _will_ be finishing this fic, though, so stay tuned.**

 **Thank you so much, all of you, for your support. As always, please leave a review so I can see what I can improve on. Many of you have been incredibly helpful and there are notable changes in my writing thanks to your feedback. I appreciate it!**

 **-Lex**


	12. Fairy Dance

**A/N: *crawls back from the grave* Oh my God. I hate myself for leaving you guys with chapter eleven. My apologies. But hey! Extra long chapter and a long note at the bottom! Please be sure to read it.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve: Fairy Dance**

Every single fiber of her body seemed to tear apart, causing her much misery and pain.

A throbbing headache pierced through Yang's skull as the girl sat up in her own bed, brown sheets pooling at her waist. She brought her two hands up and shielded her eyes from the light pouring in through the window, groaning in agony. The light hurt. Everything hurt. It must have been just before noon for the sun to shine in on her room like that. Clumsily, she rolled herself off the mattress and onto the floor. Moaning, Yang pulled at the curtains so that they could block out the light. She thought about staying right where she was, face pressed against the familiar carpet, feeling like utter crap.

 _Again. It totally happened again._

Yang muttered a few curse words as she struggled to pick herself up, gripping the window sill tightly. She couldn't remember anything, but she knew there was nothing _to_ remember. _That's what happens when you black out from drinking, you idiot_. No matter how hard she tried, nothing came to mind about the previous night. The girl tried to run her hands through her hair, but it wouldn't do, as her fingers tugged on the knots. She hadn't showered. She was still in yesterday's clothes. Bringing her shirt up to her nose, she wondered how awful she must have smelled. That might be a good indicator of how trashed she was. As she did, she picked up on something she hadn't come across in a long time.

She smelled like him.

And then she wanted to throw up.

Yang remembered Ruby, when she was still small and even more curious about the world, telling her that scents were very powerful because they can easily trigger memories. She wished it wasn't so. She didn't want to remember him. She wanted to forget. What used to be, at some point in her life, the most wonderful fragrance in the world now transformed into a dreadful reminder of everything that had gone wrong. At that instant, Mercury Black came to mind—the slight upturn of his lopsided, arrogant grin, his back as he walked away, the way he never seemed to smile with those stony, gray eyes.

 _God damn, Xiao Long_.

As she pulled her shirt off of her and angrily threw it across the room, Yang noticed the small, short figure standing at the doorway. Ruby wasn't smiling or frowning, lips pressed into a thin, straight line instead. She looked tired. Her normally gleaming silver orbs appeared lackluster and exhausted. The two sisters stared at each other, one in disbelief, the other in shame.

"Yang?" Ruby piped up, though her voice remained quiet, even timid.

Yang's lips quivered. She replied, "Ruby?"

Without wasting another second, Ruby made her way over to her older sister, sitting down next to her and wrapping her in a hug. "How are you feeling?" the younger asked, taking in the mess in front of her that was Yang Xiao Long.

The blonde wanted to cry. She hated looking and feeling like crap in front of Ruby. _She_ was the older sister. _She_ had the responsibility of looking after her sibling, not the other way around. Yet here they sat, roles reversed. It made her feel stupid to say the very least. "My head hurts a lot," was all she could say. It was a horrible understatement— _everything_ hurt a lot.

"Well, that kind of thing does happen after a crazy night," Ruby mumbled, the smallest grin on her lips. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"But am I actually okay?" Yang bit her lip, feeling tears start to well up unexpectedly. "Ruby, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry," she repeated, breath starting to hitch. "I didn't mean to get drunk like that, I didn't, I-I…"

"No, Yang, please," Ruby murmured quietly, bringing her into a tight, but gentle hug. "It's going to be okay."

"No it's not," Yang replied, hiccuping as she struggled to keep herself in check. It wasn't working. "What I did wasn't alright, and I just… Oh, God, why do I keep screwing up?" she moaned, pressing her head into Ruby's shoulder.

The younger girl stayed quiet as Yang cried, feeling a warm dampness on her trademark red hoodie within a minute or so. For a while, the two sat there on the bedroom floor, huddled together as the dust started to sink and settle around them.

"Why didn't you just call me?" Ruby asked when Yang lifted her head a few minutes later. "I was with Weiss. We could have picked you up to see a movie or go to an arcade if you were that upset." She frowned. "Yang, you can always just tell us if you're not okay."

"I know, Ruby, I know. But… I wasn't thinking straight, at all." She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, knowing they were red and swollen. She hated crying like this. "I was angry. And you know how I am when I'm… when I'm upset. I just wasn't me yesterday."

"Was it Blake?"

Yang gave a lopsided grin, even if she was as unhappy as she could be. "Yeah. And Mercury, he's back."

Ruby nodded. "Weiss and I saw him last night."

There was nothing else to be said about him. Yang sighed, shutting her eyes. "I just… I can't even believe I let myself do that again." She rubbed her temples as she asked, "About Weiss… She's gotta be really pissed off with me, huh?"

"Yeah…" Ruby leaned against the wall, hand on her sister's. "Weiss stayed for a little while after she dropped you off, even though her dad was bugging her to come home. She had to explain the situation to dad. You might want to talk to her sometime."

 _Well, yeah. I owe her that much, and way more._ "Where is dad?" she wondered, referring to their own and glancing at the clock hanging near the door. "It's Saturday."

"Dad's running errands. He said he needed to go grocery shopping."

"Is he mad at me, too?"

The girl shook her head. "No. None of us are really that upset, Yang."

"Are you sure dad isn't mad?" she asked, incredulous. Their overprotective father, not upset with his oldest's embarrassing and reckless actions? Not possible.

"I promise," Ruby swore. "He's just worried. All of us want you to be okay."

 _Us._

Silver met lilac, staring hard at each other. Yang gritted her teeth, fists balled up in her lap. A tear fell onto her lap. "This is just stupid," she sniffled as she rubbed her nose. "I can't go to Prom like this. I hate crying."

"Well, you do have almost eight hours," Ruby smiled, finally. "You can cry all you want! Anything to make you feel better. If it makes you feel better, of course… I mean…" She scratched the back of her head, unsure of anything else to say. "You are still going to Prom, right?"

Yang sighed. "I have to. I'm nominated for royalty and it would be bad if I didn't show up. I probably shouldn't be left alone."

"But Mercury is supposed to be there," Ruby whispered, knowing that simply saying his name would most likely offend, and piss off, the blonde.

Yang, however, just shrugged her shoulders. "It'll be fine. I don't have to talk to him, right? I'll avoid him." She shook her head, not wanting to think of him anymore than she needed to. "I'm not worried about seeing him. I'm worried about something else."

"You mean Blake," Ruby assumed.

"Yeah." _That's an entirely different story. I don't know how to fix what I've done._

"I'm sure that you guys are going to be okay. At least, that's what I hope."

Yang lowered her eyes to the floor. "Me too."

Ruby patted her shoulder affectionately. "Let's just try to get through today. We can figure that out after we eat something."

Yang nodded, wiping her eyes. "I gotta clean up, Rubes."

The brunette stood up, beaming. "Right. I'm going to go cook us some breakfast. Cookies count as breakfast, right?" She gave her sister one last look before walking out.

Yang watched Ruby, wondering if this is how it felt to be the little sibling, the one being taken care of. She then wondered how she would deal with Blake later on, if she could.

* * *

"Weiss?"

The heiress stood right against the doorstep, surprising Blake greatly as she opened the door. She _never_ visited Blake's house. It was always the opposite. Her eyes, which usually shined like beautiful jewels in the sunlight, appeared grim and dark, narrowed as grimaced. Blake noted that her shoulders were slumped and she appeared hunched over, like she was… tired. Weiss tapped her foot impatiently, her lips pursed.

"Are you going to let me in or am I going to stand here forever?" she hissed.

"Okay, sorry," Blake grumbled, pulling the door open. _She sure makes one_ seriously _pissed off angel._

The girl removed her high heels, placing them neatly by the frame, before walking to the living room and sitting down promptly on the sofa. "We need to talk."

"You said as much on the phone," Blake responded, taking her seat next to her. "Do you want anything to drink? Water? Tea?"

Weiss shook her head. "I'm fine, but thank you. Are you alright?"

"Me?" Blake arched an eyebrow. "Weiss, I'm okay." Shifting the conversation, she said, "You seem really upset. Are _you_ okay?"

Weiss let out an exasperated sigh, crossing her arms. "No, not really. I'm irritated, and I'm upset that I have to be here to talk to you." She was being honest, at the very least.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She ignored her question. "Where were you last night? Actually, where were you all day yesterday?" the girl questioned, her tone firm and authoritative. "It would have been immensely helpful if you had your phone turned on."

Blake backed away, somewhat surprised by the direction of their discussion and Weiss' current temperament. "Weiss, what are you talking about? I was home all day yesterday, and the day before that." _Grieving. I was upset and unhappy. What a surprise._ She had herself locked in her room, doing nothing but thinking, and even some crying. "I didn't notice that you had called me until this morning, when you called me again."

"Well, something happened last night." She averted her gaze. "That's actually the reason why I wanted to come here and explain it to you. I didn't think telling you over the phone would have been sufficient."

"What is it?" Blake asked, her voice growing quiet. Somehow, she knew that it was not very good, especially if Weiss Schnee asked to come over to talk to her in person like this.

The ice queen gathered herself and spoke as diplomatically and tactfully as she could. "Yang got into some trouble last night. Neptune and Sun were leaving a party when they noticed that her motorcycle was parked in Cardin Winchester's driveway. Ruby and I left as soon as we heard and when we found her…" She shook her head once. "She was with her ex-boyfriend, Mercury Black."

Blake felt her chest cave in, her heart feeling so squeezed it might've burst right then and there.

"She was very, very drunk. I would be surprised if she remembers anything form last night when she wakes up," Weiss continued. "We got her out of there as soon as we could and I dropped her and Ruby off at their house. Hopefully she's alright, that dunce."

"I…" Blake was speechless, as well as feeling angry, disappointed, and despondent all at once. Typically she could keep herself in check, but this was…

Rash.

Stupid.

Unbelievable.

She could rip her hair out.

"I wanted to tell you so you knew," the other girl continued, bringing Blake back to Earth. "I'm upset, obviously, because I haven't slept more than five hours for the past week. Prom is tonight, and this whole incident is just another hazard to my health. My father pestered me all night about it and I had to instruct Ruby on how to take care of her sister." She turned her eyes back to Blake, now appearing a bit more sensitive, a bit more empathetic, almost. "I felt that it would be wrong if no one told you, if you were left to hearing about this through rumors. And given that tonight is Prom…"

"I'm not going," Blake decided as she stood, finished with the conversation. Now she was seeing red, not caring much that Weiss had just finished speaking. "I don't want to go." _This is dumb._ Her feet fell hard on the hardwood. _This is stupid._ She felt her blood boil in her veins, now upset more than anything, that Yang could have been so stupid.

"Blake, please," Weiss followed suit, trailing behind her as Blake carried herself to the patio outside.

"No! This is all so stupid!" the raven-haired girl shouted, never once turning to look at Weiss even as she went out to face the sea. In the distance, the waves crashed against the sand just as chaotically and tumultuously as her life that was, currently, in shambles, so she thought. "How could you expect me to go to Prom when you know that Yang is going to be there? I don't want to see her, Weiss! I don't want to be anywhere near her!"

"Blake, don't blow this out of proportion!" Weiss countered, standing in front of Blake so she could see her. Wisps of white tickled her cheek as a gust blew past them, shifting gray clouds above them. "I told you what happened so that you could fix your problems, not so that you can run away fr—"

"I am _not_ running!"

Weiss' lips remained parted, shocked that Blake had cut her off so suddenly. Now she was _actually_ starting to get even more upset than she already was. "Oh _really?_ " she questioned, her words dripping in sarcasm and contempt. "Because it seems to me that you are, if you're not going to face her tonight and explain yourself and how you feel!"

"How do you know anything about the situation?" Blake asked, her voice starting to waver slightly. "What did Yang tell you?"

"Nothing, actually." Weiss gritted her teeth. "She hasn't told me anything. Neither of you have!"

"Why do you even care about what goes on between me and Yang? It's not your business."

"Because, Blake," the girl retorted, closing the distance between them and standing on her toes, "you and Yang are my closest friends! It might not be my business, but I can see when two people care so much about one another. And for you both to waste what you have between you would be upsetting to see!" She sank back down to Earth, saying, "Because this—this whole thing between you and Yang—not only affects you two, but it affects me, it affects Ruby, and frankly, it affects everyone around you. So help me God if we actually care about you two enough to help."

Blake withdrew, turning away from her and once more to the vast expanse of ocean. She had to take a moment to comprehend what Weiss had just explained, and she wasn't sure she could believe the majority of it. Weiss shouldn't have bothered. This whole situation wasn't worth her valuable time or effort, but she stuck around. She wanted to help. Ruby had done the same thing. If anything, she should have distanced herself from Blake, given how she had hurt Yang so much, but she remained kind and gentle as always. It didn't make sense, why these people were being so nice to her, or why they cared. The golden-eyed girl brought both hands to her head, rubbing her temples and hoping to fend off the impeding headache.

So maybe she should have talked to someone about what was going on.

And maybe she should have told Weiss, who was the person that brought her Yang in the first place, really. After all, she was the _one_ person Blake could go to for all of this, given their similarities amongst stark differences.

Anger subsiding, she swallowed her pride and looked over at her friend. She seemed so petite, so small and fragile. "Weiss," she started. "I appreciate you telling me what happened. I didn't mean to yell at you," she apologized, knowing that she was not the kind of person to burst in anger like she had. It just seemed that everything was getting to her.

"It's fine," she replied. "But I was being serious. Obviously something is going on between you and Yang. What are you going to do about it?"

"I…" Blake took in a deep breath, not knowing where to start. But she tried her best. "Let's go inside," she remarked, motioning for Weiss to walk into the house. If they were going to talk about it, Blake wanted to be comfortable at least.

Once they were seated in the living room, cups of coffee and tea in their hands, Blake recounted her story. She told Weiss about her decision to study in France, although she already knew, and how Yang took the news—their last conversation earlier in the week and the fall-out that was inevitable. Blake told her about how she stayed home for two days because she didn't have the courage to face Yang, because she didn't want to look at her and cause any more pain. More than anything, Blake wanted to take back everything she said, but she couldn't, because she knew those words had left scars on Yang.

The heiress was a bit surprised to hear it all, although she had her suspicions regarding the two. It wasn't difficult to deduce that Blake and Yang weren't okay. Mood dampened, she sipped her coffee, silent throughout all of Blake's story. Blake noticed that she had drank it black, much unlike her, and she wondered if she felt that way, too. Bitter, somehow, and dark.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Weiss offered. She knew that Blake didn't like pity any more than she did and continued, asking her, "Now what are you going to do?"

"I don't know." The girl reached up to her head and pushed her ebony locks back. "Has Yang really not told you about any of this?"

"Yang's been keeping to herself. I suppose I should have prodded her with questions… If I knew this was so bad." Weiss frowned. "Why didn't you say something, Blake? I would have tried to help you," she sighed, genuine and sincere.

"Because it's not your problem," Blake replied. "I don't want to get more people in this situation if they don't have to be."

Weiss shrugged. "It's unfortunate, then, that Ruby and I are your friends. After I left last night, Ruby was still a bit shaky. I'm sure she's taking care of Yang. At least, I'd like to think so." She set her coffee down on the table between them.

"If you're saying you need to take care of me… I don't need a babysitter."

"I wouldn't baby you, ever," Weiss replied, irritation flashing briefly in her cerulean eyes. "You're so stubborn."

Blake did not respond to that, instead setting her tea down on the table.

"Are you still going to Prom tonight?"

Blake felt her breath hitch a little as she turned her amber eyes away. The question was a bit sudden."Is it worth it?" _Risking it. Being vulnerable again. Opening up wounds._ Her worries were written all over her face and she knew it. "Don't you think Yang doesn't want to see me?"

"Yang's not like that," Weiss reassured her. "She might be hurt, but she's not going to push you away if you approach her, even after everything that has happened. If anything, she probably wants to clear up the situation with you. It's necessary. The details in your relationship are so convoluted."

She almost wanted to sneer at that last jab, although it was true. "I find that hard to believe."

"She's just as stubborn as you are."

Blake sighed. "You really think so?"

"I know so," Weiss nodded. "It won't do for you to hide your feelings away. Hasn't that already caused a fuss?"

 _Touché._ "Well… I suppose that's one way to say it…"

"Exactly." Weiss rose, patting down her expensive, white skirt. "I'm going to get my stuff out of my car."

Blake blinked at her stupidly, brows furrowing. "Excuse me?"

The heiress didn't spare her a second glance as she put on her shoes. "What, you weren't expecting to get ready by yourself for Prom now were you?"

"Weiss, you—" Blake stopped, bright gold meeting deep blue.

"I, what?" she asked. The smallest mischievous grin graced her small lips. There it was, that keen, eager stare that was a little bit serious and a lot more teasing now.

And Blake understood.

* * *

As she drove down Highway 1, the major thoroughfare that ran along the Pacific coastline, Yang couldn't help but occasionally glance out the windows to her right, looking at the sun as it sank beneath the horizon. It was a dangerous action, given that the road in front of her twisted and turned often and required a greater amount of concentration than most routes. Still, she looked, and she thought about Blake and the way her strange, gold eyes seemed even more miraculous and ethereal in the light of the setting sun. She missed that. She loved that.

But Ruby caught her eyes each time, and she knew exactly what her older sister was thinking. She was pining. The brunette placed her hand on top of Yang's that rested on the gear shift.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked quietly.

"I"m going to be," Yang answered, forcing a grin. "If I don't majorly screw up again. I'm going to try to talk to Blake." _Not that it'll change anything. But at least we can clear the air between us._

"You'll be fine. Right. You'll be fine."

Yang appreciated Ruby and her caring actions today that made the afternoon run a bit more smoothly than it would have without her. After cleaning herself up and eating a hearty meal, Yang found herself on the couch, watching a movie with Ruby, then later prepared for the evening. The film helped her relax and think through what she'd say tonight, if Blake was still going. The anxiety ate at her the closer the clock hands moved towards the end of the day. So even though the dance didn't start until eight o'clock, the two sisters finished getting dressed at five. Ruby took her time as she curled Yang's hair, wanting to make her as beautiful as she could, and she did a remarkable job.

Ruby herself wore a navy blue gown, not wanting to wear a dress similar to Yang's, even though red was definitely _her_ trademark color. It was her namesake, after all. Still, this was not her night. No, her only objective was helping Yang, as she said so. Yang could not believe that this was her little sister, her biggest supporter and best friend. She had always been so kind.

"Rubes," Yang started, drawing in a deep breath. "Do you think Blake will listen to what I have to say?"

"I think so," Ruby nodded. "Just as long as you're honest, right?"

"Yeah."

 _Just as long as you're honest, Yang._

 _Just as long as you're honest._

* * *

Her job was to help Yang. That was all.

Soon, they arrived at the venue for their prom night. Ruby felt her jaw go slack a little, astounded as soon as she walked into the room. A famous spot for weddings and other large occasions, the Malibu Beach Club, facing directly out into the water, was large enough to hold hundreds of guests yet small and intimate all the same. The Beacon Student Council had worked extremely hard to put this together, decorating the tables with lovely, scattered petals, and tea lights in the center to create a warm atmosphere in the room. Above them hung intricate paper-mache creations that resembled stars, fitting the theme for tonight that was the _Land of Enchantment_.

There were a few people already dancing. Quickly, Ruby spotted Pyrrha and her dazzling pair of vibrant, emerald eyes across the room and the smile that came with her glance. Next to her was Jaune, tall and handsome is his tailored suit. Ren and Nora weren't too far away, moving and grooving to the beat of the music. Ruby smiled to herself, happy to see her close friends enjoying themselves. She tried to remind herself that she, too, should have some fun tonight, that even if things were to go wrong with Blake and Yang (again) she should at least have a good night. At least try.

But even then, she felt that it wouldn't matter if her sister couldn't even manage a smile.

As the brunette admired the splendor of the evening's scene, she caught sight of a familiar white figure standing a few feet away, greeting each guest as they passed by. Weiss appeared just as beautiful as she ought to be, dressed in a long gown the same color as fresh snow. As the main organizer for this event, she had planned every single detail meticulously and carefully. Now, it was only polite of her to make sure she said hello to each person. Everyone knew Weiss Schnee was the heiress of perhaps the biggest diamond company in the nation. And she made that very, very clear with her appearance tonight. Ice queen she might have been, but powerless she certainly was not.

"Whoa, she looks beautiful…" Ruby thought aloud.

As if she had heard her, Weiss snapped her head towards the sisters and made her way to them. Brow arched and arms akimbo, she smirked and said, "Both of you clean up so well."

"Clean up?" Yang chuckled. "I always look this good."

Weiss rolled her eyes and Ruby laughed.

"This place looks awesome, Weiss. You guys must've spent forever trying to decorate it," Ruby commented.

The snow angel sighed. "Indeed, it was a lot of work. But I'm glad that someone likes it."

Ruby looked over at Yang, who was shifting where she stood. Was she so uncomfortable with the small talk already? "Yang, Jaune and Pyrrha are already here."

"Yeah." The blonde reached up and tangled her fingers with her hair, lilac eyes focused on everything besides Ruby and Weiss. "It really is nice."

Weiss hummed before she replied, "If you want to get something to drink, there's a refreshment bar in the back of the room. You can also go out to the patio if you need fresh air."

"Thanks."

"You look like you need it," she followed up, pulling the clipboard in her hand closer to her chest.

Ruby glanced at both of them and opened her mouth to speak, but her sister cut in.

"I think I'm going to go do that, actually," Yang said curtly, regarding Weiss with a nod and Ruby with a small, seemingly painful smile.

The two girls watched Yang as she walked away from them, long hair swaying and heels clicking loudly against the wooden floor. After she had gone, Weiss let out a sigh, long and heavy. "She seems very upset to be here."

"Well… I think she's just nervous about seeing Blake again. She is coming, right?"

"She's already here," Weiss responded. "I brought her here myself."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I had to tell her about what happened last night. I felt that she deserved to know, given that she cares so much about her. I managed to convince her to go and confront Yang as well."

"Wow." Ruby grinned. "I guess our plan is still working out, then."

"Hmm, with a bunch of convoluted, tortuous small details? Sure, you can think of it that way, Ruby." Sapphire met silver as Weiss smiled. "I am confident that they'll be able to overcome their differences and the problems they face."

Excitedly, Ruby nodded. "I think so too. But…" She looked towards the door. "What about…"

"Mercury Black? He purchased a ticket. That doesn't necessarily mean that he'll be coming tonight."

"But if he does…" Ruby clenched her fist. "What if he bothers Yang? I mean… They were really… They were…"

The ice queen frowned. "I'll see to it that he doesn't bother her if he does come."

"Wait, you can do that?"

"Well, one of our goals right now is to help our friends as best as we can, right? That's all we can do. If he's really a nuisance, then I'll have security escort him out. Blake and Yang need to sort things out alone. But everything else that happens between them isn't up to us. They'll have to work on it together." Weiss sighed. "Don't you think that we've been getting in the middle of this a bit too much?"

Ruby only stared back at her and nodded. "I guess you're right about that one."

Weiss turned her attention to the doorway. "They need space. Now come. I need help at the coat-check."

* * *

Blake leaned over the railing, watching the water crash against the shore. It was now past eight and the sun sank underneath the ocean at least hours ago. But with her sharp eyes and strong vision, she could see far, so she let herself fall into a bit of a trance as she gazed off in the distance. She admired the waves climaxing then ebbing, so rhythmic and tranquil. For a while, she stood, mind separated from body, content with her current situation, even though she felt worried about the evening all day.

Perhaps she was worrying too much. There were many things Blake was. She was level-headed and collected. She was structured, careful, and precise in everything she did. Having suffered from Adam's fickleness and caprice, she learned to take her time when making decisions. She hated changing her mind and she prided herself on staying committed to something she truly believed in. These were the pillars of her character. She was not impulsive. She was not impetuous. Blake knew this.

So, for her to change her mind…

She couldn't be sure she was making the right choice.

But if she was given the chance, it might be worth it. That was worth a try. Maybe it was fine that she worried this much.

Blake observed the beach for a few more minutes until she heard the shuffling of feet behind her. She turned and thought her heart had stopped beating as soon as she saw the familiar bright hair and kind eyes.

For a moment, time seemed to stop, Yang's beauty captivating and paralyzing Blake. They hadn't spoken in nearly a week after their falling-out on Monday. Blake felt an acute pain in her chest upon meeting Yang's gaze, intense and fierce, even under the soft light of the hanging lights above them. She felt guilty. Blake really loved her, yet she hurt her and had been hurt from her. Almost shyly, she turned away and brought her hands in front of her, keeping her eyes forward as Yang closed the distance between them. A minute of silence lingered between them. In that time, Blake could feel her heart racing, a hammer under the soft fabric of her dress.

"Blake," Yang murmured lowly, voice quiet and timid.

Unsure of what else to say, she said her name in reply.

"You really look beautiful," Yang offered, walking up to her side. She kept about a foot of space between them, careful and nervous as ever. Blake could sense the trepidation in her voice, much unlike her. "I like your bow," she added awkwardly.

Blake couldn't help but smile just slightly at her efforts. "Thanks. You look quite nice yourself."

The blonde blushed. "Y-You think so? Weiss picked out this dress for me. I'd usually wear something brighter but… I guess she really liked the color."

Blake turned to look at her. "It suits you. You look good like that, Yang."

The raven-haired girl was hyperaware of her clipped, short sentences, but she hoped that Yang wouldn't take them as a slight. She wasn't angry or upset—not even close. Blake was scared. She couldn't believe that Yang was giving her the time of day. She felt undeserving of the golden girl's time. Yang could be in the main room, dancing her heart out, laughing with her friends, kissing Mercury, or teasing Ruby, or otherwise existing without her. And yet…

Lilac eyes remained on her, filled with guilt and apprehension. It was if Yang knew precisely how Blake felt not because she could see it, but because she, too, felt exactly the same way.

"To be honest, Blake," Yang opened up, almost startling Blake, "I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find you tonight. I'm guessing you know about what I did yesterday…"

"No need to say it out loud," Blake replied. "Weiss told me everything."

"Right, of course." Yang drew circles on the ground with her foot. "Somehow she always finds a way to tell someone about the things I do…"

"Well…" Blake wasn't sure what to say at this point. "I don't think it was out of malice. She just wanted me to know."

Yang nodded, closing her eyes and sighing. "I'm sorry about how I acted," she continued, honest and straightforward. The girl bit her lip. "I know that you weren't there, but I know that you were probably really ticked off with my behavior. I wasn't being myself." She opened up and touched Blake's hand that rested on the railing. "I don't drink like that, ever. But I was upset and I…" Yang shook her head. "I guess Mercury really didn't care if I was in my head or not, huh? I knew he'd be in town and that I shouldn't have gone." Her lips dipped into a frown. "I'm sorry."

Blake's expression softened and her fingers curled around Yang's. "You were hurt. People do stupid things when they're hurt. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you. I've made it harder between us."

"I can't deny that one," Yang sighed, drawing back her hand. "I uh… I just wasn't expecting that kind of answer, I guess."

Blake deflated. Seeing Yang like this made her felt defeated. "I know. And I'm really sorry." _I mean it. I promise._

"But that's not going to change your mind, is it?" The golden girl took a step back, putting her hands behind her back. "I'm… not sure what there is to work out between us, now that I think of it."

Her sentence caught Blake off guard. "What are you talking about?" she asked, surprised at the sudden turn of the conversation.

But Yang continued as if she hadn't heard her. "I mean, I'm glad that you're not as pissed as I thought you'd be, but besides that…" Yang swallowed thickly and locked gazes with the girl she admired and cherished. "It's still not going to change your mind," she repeated. "You're going to go to France and study to be a successful businesswoman. I don't belong in the picture."

Her heart felt like it was ripping at the seams. "Yang…"

"I get it. I mean, this is just high school. And eventually you're going to find a great person and marry them and things will be really, crazy great for you!" Somehow, Yang managed to put on a fake smile, even a fake laugh. "And that's what I want for you. I do want you to be happy, y'know? And if that means… If that means that I can't be with you, if that means that I'm not the person you choose—"

"Stop it."

 _Stop it._

This time, it was Blake's turn to interrupt her with a kiss. It was soft, chaste, and sweet.

As Yang looked down at her, confused and taken aback, Blake asked, "Who says I'm not choosing you?" Before the other girl could speak, the amber-eyed girl brought her hand to Yang's cheek and confessed, "I love you. That isn't going to change, whether I'm here with you or if I'm across the ocean away from you."

"W-what…?" Yang couldn't believe the words that she had just heard. "Where… where is this coming from, Blake?"

Blake removed herself from the embrace. "I don't change my mind when I make decisions. But for days, I've been without you. I avoided you at school and I didn't even go to school on Thursday and Friday because I couldn't handle seeing you. You don't understand, Yang. Seeing you upset and hurt was more than I could bear. I thought I could be strong and stay firm in what I said, but I kept thinking and thinking about you." She took a deep breath and adjusted the bow on her head.

"What I said on Monday was true. I don't want to hold you back. I want _you_ to be happy. And if a relationship with you is going to keep you away from the best, then I'd rather part with you than have you. But Yang…" Blake paused, realizing that tears were beginning to well up. Oh, how she hated this, this great wave of emotions that tore away her facade of indifference and steeled appearance. It didn't matter now, though.

"You've proved to me, time and time again, that you really do care about me. I've never met someone so selfless. I really don't believe it sometimes, when you say that you love me, you choose me, but… It's true. I don't deserve you, but you've picked me. So for you, I'm willing to change my mind. I shouldn't have made the decision before talking to you. If I had been mature enough just to ask… then we wouldn't be here."

Yang blinked a few times, trying to speak but failing at forming a coherent sentence. She pushed part of her hair back, licked her lips, and looked at Blake, then at the ground, then out in the distance. Blake wondered if she had said too much all at once. Finally, Yang asked, "What made you change your mind? Why couldn't you have just said this before?"

"I wanted to, but I couldn't face you. I was convinced you wouldn't want to talk to me."

"That's bullshit and you know it," Yang replied. "I've been wanting to talk to you too. But things between us have been so damn complicated." The girl played with a few strands of her hair. "I really couldn't think about you without getting upset after Monday." She chuckled. "Oh, man. If you knew how nervous I am just to stand in front of you here…"

They smiled at each other as Blake responded. "I think I can sense it a bit."

"You think? Ruby had to give me a few pep talks. Usually I'm not so bad! But I've never been one for talking so much, I guess." Yang looked at her feet. "Everything's just different with you."

Blake's smile faded, her expression turning earnest once more. "I wanted to apologize to you."

Lilac met gold. "For what?"

"For what?" Blake almost laughed. "Yang, for everything that's happened. I wish that all of this hadn't happened. If I had just been open with how I felt, this could have been avoided. But it's because of my childish actions that we're here where we are. If I had been honest with you and communicated properly, then I could've spared us both a great deal of heartbreak. You don't understand how horrible it feels to hurt you."

Yang remained silent, so she continued, saying, "I thought I loved Adam when I met him. I was only fifteen, and I was different then, but I really did think that he was everything I needed. So when he left, when he said goodbye, I swore to myself that I would never again love another person, that I was too good for that. I could be alone." Suddenly, her throat seemed to close up and she was starting to choke on her words. "But with you, Yang, it's so easy. It's just so easy to love you. So even if you feel different, I still love you. I mean it."

Moved by Blake's clear, honest admission of love, with utmost tenderness and gentleness, Yang took both of Blake's hands and held them to her chest. It took her a minute to form a solid response. So stirred was she by Blake's words that she forgot, momentarily, about the dance going on inside, her mistake from the previous night, and the pain from her earlier rejection. Smiling, Yang kissed Blake's hands. "If you've forgiven me so easily over something so bad, you can't expect me to not forgive you. Of course I forgive you. And you're more than enough." Her smile weakened, but she whispered "God, Blake. It almost feels too easy. I really didn't think we would be able to get through to each other like this."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I didn't know how tonight was going to go," the blonde answered. "To be honest, I was kinda clueless about what I was going to say. I didn't know that you were going to change your mind, so that was a big help, y'know," she mumbled. "What would have happened? I was expecting you to reject me again. I was gonna ask you if you wanted to start over, or whatever, or at least just clear the air, but, I mean, it just looks like you've kinda done that for me—us, sorry, us…" She was babbling, she knew, and she cursed under her breath.

Blake grinned. "I'm glad I can do something to help you." She realized that her hands were still being held in Yang's as she asked, "How do you feel? About this, about all of it."

Yang took her time to answer. "Surprised, for starters. I really wasn't expecting you to change your mind, like I said. I mean, you're such a solid person. You don't go back on your decisions like that, so it was a serious surprise. But you know, Blakey, I couldn't be happier. I don't want you to be held down. I want you to be free. But if you choose me, then I promise you, Blake, that you won't regret it.

"Y-you know that I've never felt this way before, not like this. Because, I mean, you had your Adam, I've had my Merc. Things are a little different but they're kinda the same, right? Well… I didn't know I really loved you until I thought I lost you." Tears threatened to fall, surprising them both. Grasping Blake's hands tighter, Yang ducked her head and pressed her forehead against the other girl's, whispering, "I want you, and I choose you. I've said this before. I can't be just friends with you, Blake. I forgive you. I forgive you a million times over. All that matters to me is that you choose me, and that can't disappoint me because… because…" She bit her lip and whispered, "I love you, Blake. I mean that."

Both girls understood that there was little left to be said after. Assured that they were alone and that no one was looking in their direction, Blake raised herself onto her toes, leaning forward. Slowly and gently, they kissed underneath the lights that danced above them like fairies, feeling nothing else but each other, if for a moment.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Someone is plotting my murder for leaving you guys for *months*. Ugh, I am so sorry. As you know, I've just started uni this past fall and there's been a lot going on in my life. I've had to put my stories on hold for a bit and at some point I couldn't even look at my manuscript for this fic. I'm very sorry if the quality is lacking; I tried my best to get back to where I was.**

 **I'm determined to see this through. There are two more chapters to this story, including the epilogue at the very end, so please stay with me! Again, I'm very sorry for being absent. I've been going through a lot and I'm surprised I've managed to get this up.**

 **Thank you again for the support, even as I've been gone. The amount of people that read this fic seriously give me a lot of joy and I haven't stopped thinking about how I've needed to finish for you.**

 **`Lex**


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